South Central Idaho Sees Dramatic Increase in Shigella Cases, Local Epidemiologist Says

“We’ve had sporadic cases over the years, a few every year,” said Tanis Maxwell, an epidemiologist with the health district. She continued, saying “we’ve seen an increase of it since 2015, where we’ve had a larger number that have been reported.”

“Carriers”: Infecting Others Without Feeling Sick

One factor complicating the situation is that people can act as “carriers” of the disease, transmitting the infection without ever displaying symptoms themselves.

According to the CDC, a carrier is “a person with inapparent infection who is capable of transmitting the pathogen to others. Asymptomatic or passive or healthy carriers are those who never experience symptoms despite being infected.”

Carriers, because they do not realize they are infected, do not tale special precautions to prevent transmission of the disease. This factor is what commonly results in the transmission of the disease.

On the other hand, the CDC points to symptomatic persons who are aware of their illness. These individuals may be less likely to transmit infection because “they are either too sick to be out and about, take precautions to reduce transmission, or receive treatment that limits the disease.”

It is important to note that there have been no confirmed carriers of the disease in this case.

“Many people are unfamiliar with Shigella and what causes it,” Maxwell said in a recent news release. She continued, stating that “Shigella is a bacteria present in the fecal matter of an infected individual.”

Shigella can be transmitted when people swallow something that has even a trace of the stool of an infected person, or something that has come into contact with the stool of an infected person. While this may sound implausible, the microscopic amount required to cause the disease makes it more likely than one may think:

Contamination can occur in any of the following situations:

Most people who contract the illness usually get over it in five to seven days, Maxwell said, although antibiotic treatment can shorten the infection by a few days. Most people don’t require hospitalization, although younger children can be vulnerable to additional problems, especially if they run a high fever with it.