Springfield-Greene County Health warns public of increased risk of illness

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Springfield-Greene County Health Department is warning that the community is at an increased risk of contracting illnesses that cause diarrhea from highly contagious bacteria.

The Health Department says they have seen a significant increase in Shigellosis cases in the county. They also noted similar diarrheal cases in the community like Salmonella and E. coli.

The Health Department says drinking, cooking and brushing your teeth with contaminated water can cause people to get sick with diarrhea.

Shigellosis, a bacterial infection caused by Shigella Bacteria, is a highly contagious infection spread through contaminated food, water and direct contact with someone who is infected. Symptoms usually include diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever and will likely begin 1-2 days after exposure, lasting for 5-7 days.

“If you’re going out to splash pads or pools, recreational water areas where you’re around, others, just make sure that you are increasing your hand hygiene if you’re in a crowded place,” said Kendra Findley, the administrator of communicable diseases for Springfield-Greene County Health.

There haven’t been any reports of people contracting Shigellosis at any pools or fountains run by the Springfield-Greene County Park Board.

“We check our pool chemistry three times a day and the pool chemistry is what tells us if we have enough chlorine in the water to kill bacteria like this and other bacteria,” said Jenny Fillmer Edwards, the public information administrator for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board.

She says this illness can be prevalent in nontreated water, like rivers, lakes and personal pools.

“We feel pretty confident that our pools are safe,” Fillmer Edwards said. “But that said, you need to know where you are swimming.”

Parents tell OzarksFirst they have a few different ways to make sure their kids are safe after going to public parks or swimming pools.

“Soap and water,” said Springfield parent Brandy Berner. “Good old fashioned clean off. Also, maybe just instructing my kids not to drink the water would just be a common sense approach, reminding them to hold their breath.”

There were only two cases of Shigellosis reported last year in Greene County. In the past two months, there have been 23 cases of Shigellosis.

“When you look at the full population of Green County, that’s not a lot of cases. But what we’re concerned about is it’s a highly infectious person-to-person disease that can cause severe, bloody diarrhea, cramping, fever, vomiting, nausea,” Findley said.

Salmonella is another bacterial infection mainly transmitted through contaminated food and water. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps that last for 4-7 days. The symptoms can begin from six hours to six days after infection.

E. coli is the third bacterial infection the Health Department is looking out for, as it also spreads through contaminated food and water. Symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody) and vomiting. The symptoms usually appear 3-4 days after exposure and last for 5-7 days.

The Health Department says that although illnesses can get better without antibiotic treatment, the bacterium may still be in stools for up to six weeks after recovery, so it’s important to keep practicing safety precautions to stop the illness from spreading.

To stop these infectious illnesses from spreading, the Health Department recommends washing hands with warm, soapy water after using the bathroom, before food preparation and eating, and after changing diapers. They also recommend thoroughly cooking all foods, disinfecting surfaces with a diluted bleach solution, cleaning common areas, avoiding drinking water from ponds, lakes and untreated swimming pools and avoiding sexual contact for at least two weeks after diarrhea has ended.

You are also urged to contact a healthcare provider if you or a family member has bloody stools, diarrhea lasting three or more days, or severe stomach cramping or tenderness. Also contact a doctor if symptoms occur and work in childcare, healthcare, or food preparation.

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