Cincinnati Post

Shigellosis outbreak a record

By Cindy Starr, Post staff reporter

New cases of shigellosis continue to appear in Greater Cincinnati, leaving the region with a dubious distinction: The recent outbreak of the diarrhea-causing disorder, which is spread by poor personal hygiene, is the largest ever recorded in the United States.

Health officials have mounted an intensive public health campaign to keep the epidemic from spreading to thousands of school-aged children as they head back to class in the coming days and weeks.

Cincinnati had logged more than 1,200 cases of the disorder as of Monday, said Dr. Judith Daniels, medical director at the Cincinnati Health Department. In Northern Kentucky, the figure was 52, according to Peggy Patterson, spokeswoman for the Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department.

Forty-four of Northern Kentucky's cases were in Kenton and Campbell counties, the counties closest to Cincinnati. Boone County had eight cases. Grant County, further removed from the Queen City, had none.

''There are some connections to Cincinnati, maybe with day cares or pools,'' Ms. Patterson said.

Cincinnati's outbreak is the biggest ever recorded, Dr. Daniels said, and by a wide margin.

''We'll be reviewing every piece of data with the Ohio Department of Health and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention),'' she said.

''We know it was primarily focused in the day cares. We're going to study it very, very intensively to see if we can come up with any suggestions.''

Thus far, health officials are not giving any indication as to how the problem got so out of control.

''We're studying the data and trying to get a clearer picture of where it started, and how, '' said Mary Sacco, director of nursing for the Hamilton County General Health District. ''Whether it was one event, we don't know.''

The highly contagious bacteria are spread through the feces of an infected person. People who don't wash their hands after using the restroom or changing a diaper can inadvertently become carriers.

With new cases still cropping up, the Cincinnati health department is continuing its efforts to educate day-care workers and school officials. A recent educational session was attended by 54 home day-care providers.

On Friday, the Hamilton County health department sent letters to school superintendents asking for their support. Additional mailings were to go out today to school principals and school nurses, who were asked, in turn, to mail a public health alert about the shigella epidemic to al l parents.

Tim Ingram, health commissioner for the district, is asking that any child who has three or more loose stools in a 24-hour period be kept home from school and undergo a physician's evaluation.

The district is asking teachers in kindergarten through third grade to focus on hygiene and hand-washing during the first three weeks of school. ''We're asking to make sure kids wash the ir hands when they get to school, after they use the bathroom, when they come back in from recess and before eating lunch or any snacks,'' Ms. Sacco said.

Custodial staff are being asked to increase restroom hygiene and sanitation, and kitchen staf f are being asked to increase food-safety precautions.

Publication date: 08-14-01

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2001