SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 22 (UPI) — Health officials in California are investigating an outbreak of shigellosis in California that sickened 93 people, and is now being linked to secondary infections of the highly contagious infection.
Most of the people hospitalized in the outbreak ate at the Mariscos San Juan Restaurant in San Juan, the Santa Clara Public Health Department said in a report.
Santa Clara health officials said 24 of the 93 cases have been lab confirmed. Several people who contracted shigellosis were hospitalized and have reportedly been released, however concern is now being raised about secondary infections.
People with diarrhea are being urged by the health department not to work, especially if they are healthcare providers, food service workers or in childcare because shigellosis is significantly contagious.
Officials are beginning to investigate the source of the outbreak, in addition to warning the public on the danger the pathogen poses to health.
Shigellosis is caused by the shigella group of bacteria, which are similar to salmonella. Each year, about 500,000 people are infected by shigella, which can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, and fever a day or two after exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Last year, the CDC raised concerns about an increase in shigellosis and some drug-resistant strains of it.
“These outbreaks show a troubling trend in shigella infections in the United States,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said at the time. “Drug-resistant infections are harder to treat and because shigella spreads so easily between people, the potential for more — and larger — outbreaks is a real concern. We’re moving quickly to implement a national strategy to curb antibiotic resistance because we can’t take for granted that we’ll always have the drugs we need to fight common infections.”
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