At least 116 people have been culture confirmed with Shigella sonnei infections apparently 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.

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.

At least three cases of a contagious illness called Shigellosis have been reported at Emerson Elementary in Joplin.

Shigellosis is a potentially serious disease caused by the shigella bacteria. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach cramps. It is transmitted from person to person, hand-to-mouth contact and can be food borne if food is handled by an infected individual. (Read more about Shigellosis)

At this point school officials do not know how the bacteria entered the school, but they say there is no need for parents to worry.

Joplin Schools Superintendent C.J. Huff, PhD. says staff at Emerson are making every effort to sanitize and prevent the disease from spreading.

“We’re trying to go above and beyond,” Dr. Huff says. “Hand sanitizers in the classroom, things of that nature. Anything and everything we can think of to do to help control it, which is the biggest concern is just the spread of the illness, and trying to contain the spread of that illness so that it doesn’t become more of an issue for other kids.”

“We tend to avoid anti-diarrhea medications like Immodium or Lamodile because that can prolong a carrier state,” says Dr. Jim Riscoe of St. John’s Medical Center. “In patients that are very symptomatic, and that’s usually the very young or the very old, can require oral antibiotic therapy.”

University Park, Pa. — A research article published in the February issue of the Journal of Food Protection presents disturbing findings to consumers, according to a food-safety expert in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

shigella1.jpeg.jpgIn the study, a survey of food-service workers found that about 12 percent said they had come to work while sick, suffering from symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting. “This is alarming because these people potentially could have spread disease to the people who consume the foods their establishments were serving,” said Martin Bucknavage, extension food-safety specialist. “Foodborne pathogens such as Norovirus, Hepatitis A and Shigella often are spread by sick workers to restaurant patrons through the food.”

In one flagrant example cited by Bucknavage, in July of 2009, a worker continued to work at an Illinois fast-food restaurant after she had been diagnosed with Hepatitis A. In the week that she worked, she potentially had exposed up to 10,000 people to the virus. “Even though many of these patrons immediately went to get vaccinated when the news story was released, 20 patrons who were not vaccinated became ill with that virus,” he said.

One reason people still go to work while ill, Bucknavage contended, is that many workers and their managers don’t fully understand the implications of foodborne illness, either on their patrons or on the business where they work.

“When an employee calls in sick and the restaurant is really busy, it is often the case that the employee is told to come to work anyway,” he said. “Another reason is that these are hard economic times, and with so many people working paycheck to paycheck, it is difficult financially for those people to stay home from work.

“They need the money, so they go into work and try to hide the fact that they are ill. I also think that many look at working while sick as a badge of courage. They have this need to ‘tough it out.’ But in reality, these folks may be doing far more harm than good.”

When someone has the symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting or jaundice, they should stay away from the workplace, according to Bucknavage. And if they have a sore throat and fever, they should be restricted from preparing and serving food.

“Retail and food-service establishments must make sure employees know that they should not be working with food when they’re ill,” he said. “At the very least, they should contact their managers and inform them of their illnesses.”

Managers should include this as part of employee training, both when employees are new and then regularly after that as a reminder, Bucknavage noted. Managers also should be observant of their employees, being on the lookout for any of these symptoms. If illness is suspected, the employee should be sent home immediately.

After that, it is important to follow-up with the sick employee, and if it is indeed a foodborne pathogen, the manager will need to contact the local health department.

His recommendations are not just for food-service or retail food establishments, Bucknavage stressed, but also are important for those who prepare food for their families and those who work in child care or elder-care facilities. “Children and the elderly are especially susceptible to foodborne illness, so we need to take extra precautions when working with these groups,” he said.

Lombard, Illinois, Subway Restaurant 2010

An outbreak of Shigella sonnei was linked to eating at the Subway Restaurant in Lombard, Illinois (DuPage County). Persons who had eaten at the restaurant between February 24 and March 1 and who had developed gastrointestinal illness were urged to see their health care providers. As of April 15, 2010, the cause of the illnesses was not known.

• Number Laboratory Confirmed Cases:  125

• Number Hospitalized:  13

For some past outbreaks, see the Foodborne Illness Outbreak Database

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There’s a bacterial infection making the rounds in the Hub City. Shigellosis is the result of a battle of bacteria. Due to an increasing number of gastrointestinal illnesses, the Lubbock Health Department is trying to spread the word about this nasty germ. It’s not uncommon for an outbreak this time of year, but the jump in numbers has the medical community concerned.

“There have been over a hundred cases since January in Lubbock and over a third of those have been since October 6th. So we’ve seen a distinct jump in the number of cases,” said registered nurse, Judy Davis.


Several students have been diagnosed with Shigella in at least two elementary schools in New Hanover County, according to school officials.

The school board called parents Monday night to explain the condition. Symptoms of Shigella include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.

According to the message, New Hanover County schools and the New Hanover County Health Department are working together to control the spread of the condition.

They say the key to prevention of transmission is hand washing and good sanitation. To scrub away germs make sure your children wash their hands in warm water with soap for about 20 seconds, making sure to get in between the fingers and under the nails. Rinse and dry with a clean towel.

The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department (KCHD) is investigating a recent increase of gastrointestinal illnesses in the community. Many of the cases include school-aged children who attended several local schools. We are continuing to see some localized probable cases but the overall numbers are declining.

Shigella gastroenteritis is a contagious disease that affects the intestinal tract of humans causing diarrhea and other related symptoms such as high fever, abdominal cramps, and vomiting. Diarrhea may occur up to 8 to 10 times per day and may be mucus-like, bloody, or watery. Although this illness can infect people of all ages, it is seen primarily among children.

The illness usually starts within a few days after exposure to the bacteria as the incubation period ranges from one to seven days, with an average of three days. Once a person is infected with the illness, it can easily be spread from person to person by direct or indirect contact with fecal material.

“Symptoms of the illness usually resolve within a week”, states Dr. Rahul Gupta, Health Officer, “but our concern is that the bacteria can shed in the stool from days to several weeks after a person gets well.” Appropriate antibiotic treatment of Shigella gastroenteritis reduces the duration of fever, diarrhea, and fecal shedding. This decreased shedding may help in reducing the risk of person-to-person spread of the infection in our community. In early September, KCHD issued a Health Advisory to area hospitals and local clinicians to make them aware of the outbreak.

“KCHD is currently working with Kanawha County school nurses to monitor the situation”, stated Gupta. Information has been sent home to parents of children in the areas where we have seen the most cases.

Our goal is to make parents and others in the community aware of the illness so they can take prevention measures. Dr. Gupta would like to remind parents that if your child has the above symptoms, keep them home from school or daycare until they are well and without symptoms for at least 24 hours and consult your physician if appropriate. This is particularly important in young children. Adults and children with mild symptoms usually recover quickly. Consult your physician if your child has diarrhea for longer than 24 hours or is unable to retain fluids. Most people who require medical treatment do so because they become dehydrated which can happen more quickly in young children. Some tips for preventing the spread of shigellosis:

• Wash hands with soap carefully and frequently, especially after going to the bathroom, after changing diapers, and before preparing foods or beverages.

• Dispose of soiled diapers properly.

• Disinfect diaper changing areas after using them.

• Keep children with diarrhea out of child care settings.

• Supervise hand washing of toddlers and small children after they use the toilet.

• Do not prepare food for others while ill with diarrhea.

• Avoid swallowing water from ponds, lakes, or untreated pools.

According to the Miami Herald, an outbreak of the diarrhea-causing bacteria shigella two weeks before school starts has prompted the Broward County Health Department to call for preventive action from the public.

“Hopefully in this two-week period before school starts, we can prevent this from getting into the schools,” said Dr. John Livengood, the health department’s epidemiology chief.

Broward has seen 81 cases of the bacterial disease so far this year, almost twice the 43 cases seen at this point last year. The outbreak this summer centered on several day camps and a few child-care centers, mostly among school-age children, he said.

The number of shigellosis cases throughout Florida has increased as well, to 368 through June, compared with 277 from January through June of 2009, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Shigella spreads through person-to-person contact — generally fecal matter on the hands — and causes severe diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps and bloody stools. Symptoms typically last three to five days.

Read more.