Shigella is a highly contagious and virulent bug that is commonly the culprit in outbreaks at schools and other institutional settings.  Shigella outbreaks are frequently caused by the fecal-oral route, whether the route of ultimate transmission be food or contact with surfaces contaminated by the bacteria.  This means that bacteria from the stool of an infected person is ingested by another person, leading to illness.

In any event, a large Shigella outbreak has occurred at Honea Path Elementary School in South Carolina.  Dozens of students have fallen ill in the past several weeks, causing the principal of Honea Path Elementary School to send a letter home to parents explaining what Shigella is and the importance of good handwashing. 

Officials with the State Department of Health and Environmental Control have assisted in the investigation of this outbreak, and have encouraged the school and staff, as well as parents, to recognize the ease by which Shigella can be transmitted person-to-person, and the resulting importance of good handwashing. 

Seventy people who say they became ill last year after eating at a Lombard Subway filed suit Monday against the restaurant chain.

The complaint filed in DuPage County accuses the Subway at 1009 E. Roosevelt Road of strict product liability, negligence and breach of warranty in connection with a food poisoning outbreak in late February 2010.

Health officials at the time said they confirmed more than 120 cases of shigella associated with the outbreak, which closed the restaurant for more than six weeks.

The lawsuit names plaintiffs in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake and Will counties, as well as Wisconsin.

Seventy people who say they became ill last year after eating at a Lombard Subway filed suit Monday against the restaurant chain.

The complaint filed in DuPage County accuses the Subway at 1009 E. Roosevelt Road of strict product liability, negligence and breach of warranty in connection with a food poisoning outbreak in late February 2010.

Health officials at the time said they confirmed more than 120 cases of shigella associated with the outbreak, which closed the restaurant for more than six weeks.

The lawsuit names plaintiffs in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake and Will counties, as well as Wisconsin. A Subway spokesman said Monday the company does not comment on pending legal matters.

The Dupage County Health Department confirmed that at least 140 people have been culture confirmed with Shigella sonnei infections contracted at a Chicago-area Subway restaurant in March of 2010. Ten were hospitalized. Health authorities closed the restaurant at 1009 E. Roosevelt in Lombard and launched an investigation into the source of the outbreak.

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Shigella is a bacterium that can cause sudden and severe diarrhea (gastroenteritis) in humans. Shigellosis is the name of the disease that Shigella causes. The illness is also known as “bacillary dysentery.” A person can contract shigellosis by ingesting only a few organisms, which makes shigellosis the most communicable of the bacterial-induced diarrheas.

The Northern Kentucky Health Department says there is an outbreak of Shigella and Cryptosporidium, both are illnesses that hits kids hard where they play—at day cares and pools.

There have been more than 125 cases of Shigella reported in Boone, Campbell, Grant and Kenton counties since April. The norm is about 25 for an entire year.

Shigella and Crypto are bacterial illnesses that can be spread at public swimming pools or anywhere there are a lot of kids.

106387344.jpgThe Northern Kentucky Health Department had placed restrictions on toddlers who are not potty trained from using the pools June 3 after a Shigella outbreak. About 300 public pools in the region were affected.

On Thursday, the health department eased those restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of the illness.

There are still concerns that Shigella may continue to spread through child care centers, then to family members of young children.

The department says they’ve received 103 reports of Shigella in Boone, Campbell, Grant, and Kenton counties since April. There are typically only 25 or so cases in a year.

Shigella is a bacteria that infects the bowels, usually in children ages two to four. The Shigella bacteria causes an illness called Shigellosis. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, nausea or vomiting.

Toddlers are being allowed back in public swimming pools in Northern Kentucky.

The Northern Kentucky Health Department had placed restrictions on toddlers who are not potty trained from using the pools June 3 after a Shigella outbreak. About 300 public pools in the region were affected.

On Thursday, the health department eased those restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of the illness.

There are still concerns that Shigella may continue to spread through child care centers, then to family members of young children.

The department says they’ve received 103 reports of Shigella in Boone, Campbell, Grant, and Kenton counties since April. There are typically only 25 or so cases in a year.

Shigella is a bacteria that infects the bowels, usually in children ages two to four. The Shigella bacteria causes an illness called Shigellosis. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, nausea or vomiting.

The health department in northern Kentucky is enacting a new rule for all public pools. Children who are not potty trained are no longer allowed in public pools, even those wearing swim diapers.

The health department says it will protect the community from the highly contagious bacteria called Shigellosis, which can easily be spread, even in highly chlorinated pools.

“Even if your child is healthy, you don’t know about other children or other toddlers who are not toilet trained who’ve been in that water,” said Dr. Lynne Saddler, NKY District Director of Health.

Shigella is very common among children, and symptoms include diarrhea, fever, cramps and vomiting.

Linda Shrieves of the Orlando Sentinel reports that Orange County health officials are reporting a Shigella outbreak across the county, and say the diarrhea-causing germ is commonly spread at day-care centers and preschools.

So far this year, there have been 78 reported cases of shigella in Orange County. Last year at this time, the county had four reported cases.

“This is one of those bacteria that causes what most people know as stomach flu, but it can be very serious,” said Dain Weister, spokesman for the Orange County Health Department. “This can cause diarrhea, but also bloody diarrhea. It’s worse than your mild case of gastrointestinal upset.”

In addition to diarrhea, other shigellosis symptoms include fever, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting. Most cases are mild, lasting several days to weeks, but severe complications such as dehydration can occur. The condition usually resolves in five to seven days, and rarely requires hospitalization.