Muskegon County health officials say shigella outbreak subsiding
Source of Article: http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2009/01/officials_local_shigella_outbr.html
by Local reports | The Muskegon Chronicle
Thursday January 29, 2009, 11:04 PM
MUSKEGON COUNTY — An
outbreak of shigella in Muskegon County
appears to be waning, according to health officials.
Shigella is an intestinal ailment that can
last from four days to several weeks but can be treated with antibiotics. The
local outbreak began in October, and 93 cases have been confirmed since then,
according to data compiled by the Muskegon County Health Department.
The number of new cases dropped from 48 in
December to 11 this month, said Ken Kraus, director of the county health
department.
"We're hopeful that it's
starting to slow down," Kraus said. "It's hard to tell if we're out
of the woods yet."
Shigella causes severe diarrhea and vomiting.
Local health officials and volunteers have
been visiting day-care centers and elementary schools with confirmed cases of
shigella to demonstrate proper hand-washing
techniques.
Shigella spreads from person to person when
hands, objects or food become contaminated with small amounts of fecal matter
from those who are infected. The bacteria then spreads
from hand to mouth and via food and drinks.
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