Kansas City reports 150 confirmed cases of Shigella. The Missouri city health officials warned the public of the outbreak and recommended preventive measures after the sudden increase in the number of cases of this infectious diarrheal disease.
At normal times, Missouri only reports about ten cases each year. However, in 2015, an estimated 150 cases were reported. Mostly, the disease affected children in schools, CNN reports. From January to July this year, there were only 16 cases but a sudden spike occurred these past two months adding 134 cases to the disease toll.
"What we are seeing with this which is unusual is we're seeing three different patterns of resistance. They need to go to a doctor because antibiotics will help less the duration of the virus," Kansas City Health Department Media Spokesperson Bill Snook told Fox 4 KC.
Shigella is an infectious disease characterized by spiking high fever, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal cramping and in worse cases, seizures. Generally, this disease can be treated by antibiotics but a culture test is needed to ensure that the proper medicine will be used.
Dr. Scott Dattel explained, "We always develop resistance to different bacterial organisms so it's really important that we are able to identify what type of Shigella it is and how to treat it best."
According to Fox News, Physicians recommend that the best way to prevent the disease is by practicing proper hand washing using soap and water. This is the single most effective way to prevent various diseases caused by pathogens.
"Inform the daycares, and inform the school systems that they may have had a child exposed to it. It's important to communication to all the families of potential exposures," Dr. Dattel added as he cited ways to prevent further spread of the infectious disease.