Personal Injury Law

Shigella Having Its Way With Akron, Ohio

All those Clinton and Obama campaign workers may be getting out of Ohio just in time.  Or maybe not.

Akron health officials are reporting that Ohio is suffering from the largest number of shigella cases since the 2001-2002 school year.    They say its been ongoing for several months with youngsters battling diarrhea caused by shigellosis, a highly contagious, bacterial infection.

The Akron Beacon Journal quoted Dr. Marguerite A. Erme, an epidemiologist for the Akron Health Department, as saying that about every five years, day-care centers and schools throughout the state report a rise in children sickened with shigellosis.

Erme said, like clockwork, the bacteria is back and many parents, teachers, and day-care providers can attest to that fact.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports:

''It is characteristic of this particular germ that we do see it cyclically,'' she said. '' . . . Since the fall, we started seeing an increasing number of cases of shigella throughout the whole county.''

Signs of shigellosis include diarrhea (often bloody), fever and stomach cramps starting one or two days after exposure to the bacterium, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Symptoms typically resolve in five to seven days, though young children and the elderly sometimes require hospitalization if they experience severe diarrhea.

A stool sample is required to confirm the presence of the shigella bacteria, Erme said. Severe cases can be treated with antibiotics, though that's not always necessary for milder cases.

 

The rest of the story can be found here.

Full post as published by Shigella Blog on March 05, 2008 (boomark / email).