CDC – It has come to the attention of CDC that Americans traveling abroad return to the country with Shigella infections that are resistant to many drugs. That calls for proper measures to curb the spread of the intestinal illness among Americans. The agency has highlighted some of the measures that people can take to stop the spread of shigellosis.
Shigellosis is a condition that may arise from food contamination or contact with causative agents. The condition is caused by a group of bacteria that are called Shigella and the symptoms include watery or bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever. Shigellosis is known to resolve by itself after about a week or so, but antibiotics can be administered to patients to accelerate the end of diarrhea.
The CDC said that that Shigellosis has the tendency to spread quickly and easily, which explains why taking caution to prevent its spreading is important. According to the agency, people should ensure that they wash their hands with water and soap after using the toilet or immediately before handling food. Some other measure is to ensure that children diagnosed with Shigellosis are kept away from child care centers while they are sick.
Additionally, CDC recommends that people suffering from Shigellosis should avoid preparing food for others. It is also important for the people who have just recovered from the condition to avoid swimming, especially in shared pools, for a few weeks. Because CDC noted that Shigellosis also spread very quickly among the homeless people, the agency recommends improved access to water and soap for washing hands for the homeless.
According to Pharmacy Practice News, Shigella causes diarrhea in an estimated 500,000 Americans every year and the problem is that the infections spreads rapidly. The publication further stated that in a recent test, CDC discovered Shigella resistance to ciprofloxacin in 90% of the samples taken from people who had travel internationally and returned to the country. That represents a significant spread in Shigella because it was previously about 2%. Ciprofloxacin has mostly been used to deal with Shigella among adults in the U.S.