[h=1]Flint Hit With Bacterial Illness as Residents Shun City Water[/h] By
CHRISTINE HAUSEROCT. 4, 2016
Residents of Flint, Mich., affected by the contaminated-water crisis have added a new complication to their lives: an outbreak of
shigellosis, a bacterial illness that is easily transmitted when people do not wash their hands.
Health department officials in Genesee County, where Flint is the largest city, said there has been an increase in the gastrointestinal illness, which can lead to severe
diarrhea,
fever, nausea,
vomiting, cramps and stools containing blood and mucus, according to a
statement issued last month.
...
?Shigella cases are on the rise across Michigan,? the county health department statement said. ...
Residents have been relying on bottled water to drink at home but
still recoil from using tap water for other purposes, such as washing and cooking. They have adapted their personal hygiene habits, including
where and how they take showers.
Residents are also using baby wipes, which they get free at bottled-water-distribution centers, to clean their hands. But that may be contributing to the current transmission of the shigella bacteria, because they are not chlorinated and do not kill the bacteria.
The C.D.C. and other agencies recommend washing hands with warm, soapy water
to avoid transmitting the shigella bacteria, which are also spread through contaminated surfaces, food or water...
