California Restaurant Source of Shigella - Number of Cases Continues to Climb

UPDATE (10/23/15)- Within a few days, the number of Shigella cases linked to a California restaurant continues to climb.  Reports now have the number at 110 cases in 4 different California Counties.

10/20/15
A California restaurant is being held responsible for up to 80 people becoming infected with Shigella with about a dozen becoming hospitalized.  Because this is a highly contagious bacterial infection, a number of secondary infections are beginning to arise. (People who are contracting the disease from someone who ate at the restaurant).

Shigella causes severe diarrhea, sometimes bloody, as well as fever and abdominal pain. Symptoms will occur within a day or two after infection and will last 5 to 7 days.  It is highly infectious, only requiring less than 20 cells to cause infection.  It spreads through contact with food or person to person which can be problematic when someone has profuse diarrhea and does not wash their hands or washes their hand insufficiently. 

 

Glove usage handling ready-to-eat foods would help...but that is not a law in CA.  In 2014, California repealed the law requiring glove usage to prevent bare hand contact with ready-to-eat food.

Getting sick workers to stay home is another issue.  Many people will still go to work even if they are ill.