Major illness at preschool – children must stay at home

Shigella are bacteria that cause infections in the intestines. The affected person may have stomach pain, fever and diarrhea containing blood and mucus.

Now a case of the infectious disease has been found at a preschool in the town of Gävle. Since shigella infection is classified as a disease with general risk, it has become an issue for the infectious disease doctor in Gävleborg. It was decided that children and workers exposed to the disease should be tested. The people who have been sampled must stay at home until a negative test result is received.

Most people in Sweden who get shigella infection are infected during a trip abroad, for example to Turkey, India or Egypt. It usually takes two to three days from the time the person is infected until the person becomes ill, according to 1177.

The infection is usually treated with antibiotics. Most recover after treatment, according to 1177.

So far this year, 458 cases of shigella have been reported in Sweden, according to the Public Health Authority. Six of the cases have occurred in the county of Gävleborg.