Frequent and careful hand washing with soap and water should be done by both the ill individual and anyone who is in contact with that person. Supervised hand washing of all children should be followed in day care centers and as soon as children return home. Young children with a Shigella infection, or with diarrhea of any cause, should not be in contact with uninfected children.
Everyone who changes an infected child’s diapers should be sure the diapers are disposed of properly in a closed-lid garbage can and should wash their hands carefully with soap and warm water immediately after changing the diapers. After use, the diaper changing area should be wiped down with disinfectant, such as household bleach.
Shigella organisms are killed by heat used in cooking. People who have shigellosis or any diarrhea should not prepare food for others until they have been shown to no longer be carrying the bacteria.
At swimming pools, maintaining a chlorine level of at least 0.5-PPM will kill Shigella. Children not yet toilet trained should be excluded from public swimming areas; stay clear if this rule is broken. Children with diarrhea should never be taken to public swimming areas.
Drink water only if it has been chlorinated (most tap water) or treated with ozone (most bottled water). Avoid drinking pool or beach water. Consume only pasteurized dairy products.
Simple precautions taken while traveling to the developing world can also prevent getting shigellosis: ìboil it, cook it, peel it, or forget itî. Drink beverages only if they are canned/bottled in a sanitary environment, boiled (like coffee), or have been in contact with alcohol for a prolonged period (wine or beer, not mixed drinks). Do not use ice in beverages.