South Carolina Shigella Outbreak
South Carolina health officials are investigating a Shigella outbreak at Honea Path Elementary School that has sickened 60 students, several of whom have been hospitalized.
Most of the students who have become ill are in grades K-4. As in Wisconsin, where an E. coli outbreak has sickened elementary school students, Honea Path officials have added cleaning procedures to the daily schedule and are stressing to students the importance of proper hand-washing.
Shigella is a bacteria found in human feces. If ingested, it can cause an infection called shigellosis which is also called bacillary dysentery. Shigella sonnei, the strain involved in this outbreak, causes more than two-thirds of the shigellosis cases in the U.S.
Symptoms of shigellosis include loose, watery stools, fever, nausea, vomiting, cramps, and bloody diarrhea. Although most cases of shigellosis are self-limited (48-72 hours), the illness runs its course in about a week. In many cases, serious dehydration can occur and, moor rarely, severe conditions, including Reiter's syndrome, reactive arthritis, and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) can develop.
Hand-washing is the best way to prevent transmission of the disease. If you believe you have a case of shigellosis, contact your health care provider. If you have legal questions about and illness or hospitalization associated with this outbreak, contact the attorneys at PritzkerOlsen for a free consultation.
Source: http://www.scdhec.gov/health/disease/han/docs/HAN-20111014-01.pdf
