Pathogen: Shigella - bacteria

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Symptoms

• Fever
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pains
• Stomach cramps
• Diarrhea (often bloody)

Start of symptoms / how long they last

Symptoms usually

• start within 1 to 3 days after eating or drinking food containing the bacteria (but can happen up to 7 days later)
• last between 5 and 7 days

How you can get sick

• From hands that were not washed properly after using the washroom and before handling food
• Through person-to-person contact from hands that were not washed properly after using the washroom
• From flies that breed in contaminated feces, which then contaminate food
• From water and vegetables contaminated from sewage run-off

Potential health impacts

• People with diarrhea usually recover completely, although it may be several weeks to months before bowel habits are normal.
• Complications can include septicaemia (bloodstream infection) and infection of other areas of the body.
• A small number of people who are infected with Shigella flexneri may develop Reiter's syndrome (a condition that develops in response to an infection in another part of the body), which can last for months or years. It can lead to chronic arthritis.

Food commonly associated

• Raw oysters and other shellfish harvested from contaminated waters
• Vegetables harvested from fields contaminated with sewage
• Salads, including chicken, fruit, lettuce, macaroni, pasta, potato, shrimp, tuna, turkey, and vegetable
• Water contaminated with sewage

How to protect yourself

• Buy shellfish from reputable suppliers.
• Cook shellfish thoroughly before eating, especially oysters.
• When travelling, in particular in the developing world do the following
  • Drink water from a safe source (treated or boiled water).
  • Eat only cooked hot food.
  • Eat only fruit that can be peeled.

Food Safety Tip

Help your parents clean up after dinner. Put any leftover food in the fridge right away. Write the date on your leftovers and eat them within two to three days.

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