Simple precautions taken while traveling to the developing world can prevent getting shigellosis. Drink only treated or boiled water, and eat only cooked hot foods or fruits you peel yourself. Every year, about 18,000 cases of shigellosis are reported in the United States. Because many milder cases are not diagnosed or reported, the actual number of infections may be twenty times greater. Shigellosis is particularly common and causes recurrent problems in settings where hygiene is poor and can sometimes sweep through entire communities.
Shigellosis is more common in summer than winter.
Children, especially toddlers aged 2 to 4, are the most likely to get shigellosis. Many cases are related to the spread of illness in child-care settings, and many more are the result of the spread of the illness in families with small children. It is important for the public health department to know about cases of shigellosis. It is important for clinical laboratories to send isolates of shigella to the City, County or State Public Health Laboratory so the specific type can be determined and compared to other shigella. If many cases occur at the same time, it may mean that a restaurant, food or water supply has a problem which needs correction by the public health department.