Shigellosis is an infectious disease caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella. It is often referred to by the term Shigella. This bacteria causes flu like symptoms like diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. The diarrhea often contains blood. It takes about 5 to 7 days to recover from this disease. In young children, the diarrhea and fever can be so severe that they may need to be hospitalized because of dehydration and fever should be monitored closely especially in children under 2 because of the risk of seizures with high temperatures. When I worked in the infant and young toddler rooms of a day care, it was so hard to watch the babies who were coming down with it because the stomach cramps would be so severe that they babies were inconsolable and would cry and cry.

Shigella was discovered about 100 years ago by a Japanese doctor named Shiga. In most developed countries it is rare that people die from Shigella bacteria but this is a very contagious disease especially among day care centers. A test must be performed to determine if your child has Shigella because there are many types of bacteria that cause diarrhea and fever. Some forms of Shigella may require a dose of antibiotics. I have read in several articles that if there is a large enough outbreak in a community, no antibiotics will be distributed unless in severe cases. One important note about diarrhea associated with Shigella that our pediatrician told me when I called to ask about this disease that anti-diarrheal medicines like Immodium and Keopectaid are likely to make this worse so avoid using these until you know Shigella is not the cause of the diarrhea.

There are some short and long term affects after recovering from Shigella. You may recover completely but bowel functions may take awhile to recover. According to the Center for Disease Control, 3% of people who get Shigella may later in life develop pains in their joints, irritation of the eyes, and painful urination which is called Reiter’s Syndrome.

The easiest way to prevent the spread of Shigella is common sense hygiene. Wash hands thoroughly, clean surfaces after each child uses the bathroom including toilet seats, door knob handles, etc. This disease is passed from the stool to the mouth. It can also be passed through vegetables that are grown near sewage or are handled by someone who has the disease. You can also become infected from drinking swimming pool water.

If your preschool has a case of Shigella come up, it is important to notify the local health department. You will not get in trouble of course but they need to be aware of the situation.

The following information is from the Centers for Disease Control website (http://www.cdc.gov/index.htm)

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 handwashing of toddlers and small children after they use the toilet

-persons with diarrheal illness should not prepare food for others

-if you are traveling to the developing world, "boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it"

-avoid drinking pool water