The illness, transmitted from feces to mouth, is more common than the numbers indicate because patients often don't see a doctor, and doctors may not test for shigella, according to health officials. Patients usually get well in a week without treatment but can continue to infect others for about a month. Most of the recent cases involve children who attend day care centers, said Dr. Kathryn Arden, assistant health director for the Trident Public Health District of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Shigella may cause loose stools that contain blood or mucus, fever and abdominal pain such as cramps. Several medications effectively treat it, but fatal complications may develop on rare occasions.
People can feel pretty bad.
As few as 10 germs reportedly can infect a person, which makes shigella very easy to transmit. Wash hands thoroughly after changing diapers, after using the restroom and before preparing or eating food. Day care centers and group homes should make sure that diapers are not changed where food is prepared and served, Arden said. Any child who has two loose stools within 24 hours should be kept home from day care and should not return until at least 24 hours after diarrhea has stopped. See a doctor if diarrhea continues for more than 24 hours, if the stool becomes bloody or if abdominal pain or fever develop.