Public Health: Shigella Outbreak Spreads Into Marin

By ALEXANDER NGUYEN:

Santa Clara County Public Health Department on Monday reported an additional 41 people reported with Shigella, bringing to total number to 181.

As of 5 p.m. Friday, the department reported 144 people in Santa Clara County and 38 people who live in other counties became sick from Mariscos San Juan restaurant #3, a Mexican seafood eatery.

Of the 182 total cases, 72 are lab confirmed; 55 of which are in Santa Clara County residents and 17 are from other counties, including including Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Marin and Merced.

A majority of the sick ate food from the restaurant on Friday or Saturday and public health officials say they expect to see more secondary cases, in which people had contact with someone who ate the restaurant

Public health officials say people can catch Shigella if they have direct contact or eat food or drink prepared by

Symptoms of Shigella include diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain and vomiting that can start one to two days after exposure, public health officials said.

The infection is very contagious and health officials say people with diarrhea -- even mild -- must not work; especially people who work in “sensitive occupations,” such as healthcare providers, food service workers, and childcare workers.

The symptoms can last for five to seven days but it can take months before a person’s bowel behavior returns to normal, according to public health officials.

One person reported becoming sick six hours after eating at the restaurant and some people may have a longer incubation period before they experience the symptoms.

In the past five years, Santa Clara County has seen an annual average of 50 to 60 Shigella cases