Roughly three quarters (74 percent) of the reported bacterial infection occurred in children ages 5 and younger. Shigella causes diarrhea, fever and nausea and is contracted by eating or drinking contaminated food or water, or by direct contact with someone with shigellosis, according to the report.
The New York City Department of Health previously warned officials of a potential outbreak, and expects to see additional cases reported as more physicians became aware of the outbreak. Currently, some parents are mistakenly identifying the symptoms as being the flu.
The CEO of ParCare Community Health Network in Bed-Stuy, N.Y., Gary Schlesinger, has been holding meetings with local schools to raise awareness of the infection and help combat it spreading further, according to the report.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers resources for public health and medical professionals on Shigella. Find those here.
More articles on outbreaks:
Ebola outbreak in Liberia could be over by June
Coloradans exposed to measles quarantined following Disney outbreak
15 dead as US flu season intensifies
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