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Shigella Lawyer Update: Public Health Officials Report on the increased Number of Shigellosis Cases in Seattle and King County.
Public Health Officials in the Seattle area have announced an increase in shigellosis cases in both Seattle and King County. The increase in shigellosis cases has yet to be linked to any particular source or product at this time, but since mid-December, the number of cases in King County has significantly increased. Public Health officials have received a total of 40 reports of shigellosis cases since late October 2020, with more than half of the cases being reported as of December 14, 2020.
The number of reported shigellosis cases in 2020 may not have surpassed the 173 cases reported in 2019, but this large increase in reported cases since mid-December 2020 may not boast well for 2021. According to Public Health Officials, among the recent infected 28 of the reported cases seem to have been experiencing homelessness or unstable housing. Due to the cases occurring across multiple settings, no common source has been identified as the cause of the illness.
Elysia Gonzales, Medical Epidemiologist for Public Health in Seattle and King County, stated: “Outbreaks of Shigella among people living homeless are often a reflection of the lack of access to medical care, basic hygiene, and sanitation resources.” Gonzales stressed the importance of people staying vigilant for symptoms of shigellosis and visiting a medical health care provider once said symptoms develop as they are contagious and can be spread from one person to another. She also stated that it is important to help decrease the spread of preventable illnesses, especially among the most vulnerable residents.
Shigella bacterium can be spread from person to person very easily as it only takes as few as 10 germs to make a person ill. Symptoms of shigellosis normally include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, and can last for about a week, in some more severe cases, a person can be sick for longer or become dehydrated and require medical care. Ron Simon, a National Shigella Lawyer, stated:
“Determining that Shigella is the cause of an illness requires a laboratory test, a culture, that isolates Shigella in the stool of the infected person. Prompt testing is critical. Stool culture results from samples obtained during the first three days of illness are positive in more than 90% of cases. Thereafter, the positivity rate drops exponentially.”
To speak to a Shigella Lawyer, or to inquire about a Shigella Lawsuit, call 1-888-335-4901.
