The shigellosis outbreak in the Rockford area has risen to 152 cases.
The Winnebago County Health Department reported four new cases in the outbreak this month, and that the bacterium has spread beyond individual schools and daycare centers to the entire community. Todd Kisner with the Department’s Center for Health Protection says the best way to prevent the disease, which can cause diarrhea and vomiting, is to enforce routine handwashing, particularly among children.
“When it comes to children, supervision of handwashing may be more appropriate now because not all kids are perfect handwashers yet,” he says.
While an increase in cases is likely over the next few weeks, Kisner says it’s due to doctors performing more routine testing. However, he addds that Kisner says with effective hygiene practices, lingering shigella bacteria won't live long enough to spread further.
The Illinois Department of Public Health says on average, around 1300 cases of Shigella are reported in the state each year.