Kansas City area is now seeing a rise in shigellosis cases, according to city health department officials.
Normally, Kansas City only experiences 10 cases every year, the health department said in a new release. But so far this year, there have been over 150 cases of shigellosis reported.
According to Tiffany Wilkinson, acting manager for Communicable Disease Prevention Division, in a news release, the concerning part of the outbreak is that three different bacterial strains that are highly resistant to antibiotics have been found.
Wilkinson added that "a few bacteria" are enough to cause an infection.
It remains unclear as to why the city is experiencing a spike in the cases.
"We really don't have any idea why. We know that the Shigella pattern is that we usually have an outbreak every five years," said Bill Snook, spokesman for the health department, according to a CNN report.
The latest outbreak, which has been in line with the said trend, is mostly experienced by kids from the daycare centers and elementary school children.
Health authorities are now urging everyone to observe precautionary measures to fight the illness, especially since there are resistant strains that are present.
Shigellosis is a bacterial infection caused by the Shigella group of bacteria. It is transmitted through direct contact with an infected person or through indirect fecal-oral transmission.
A person who's down with shigellosis will usually experience symptoms such as abdominal cramps or pain, watery diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and blood- or mucous-tinged stools.
Some people may go on without showing symptoms, but still, they can pass on the infection to other people.
A person who has shigellosis is considered infectious from the time symptoms show up until absence of Shigella from the stool has been confirmed.
Frequent proper handwashing with soap and observing other hygienic measures can help stop the spread of the infection.
