Communicable Disease
The Communicable Disease and Epidemiology staff is responsible for:
- tracking disease trends in the community
- conducting investigations on reported cases of reportable communicable diseases and outbreaks
- influenza prevention clinics
- providing communicable disease and immunization education to child care facilities, schools and parents
- ensuring children in child care facilities are properly immunized
- comparing and interpreting data in order to detect possible changes in the health status of the population
- using leading edge disease surveillance systems to detect changes in trends or distribution of diseases in order to effectively investigate, prevent, and control diseases in the community.
- maintaining partnerships with the healthcare community
- community communicable disease education including a Public Health Newsletter distributed to physicians, nurses and pharmacists and a Childcare Newsletter.
To schedule an educational presentation or to request information, please view the Communicable Disease and Emergency Preparedness Training Guide.
On this page:
Shigellosis is an infectious disease caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella. Most who are infected with Shigella develop diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps starting a day or two after they are exposed to the bacterium. The diarrhea is often bloody. Shigellosis usually resolves in five to seven days. In some persons, especially young children and the elderly, the diarrhea can be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Some persons who are infected may have no symptoms at all, but may still pass the Shigella bacteria to others.
Shigella is spread:
- When an uninfected person gets the bowel movement/stool/feces of an infected person in their mouth
- When people come in contact with Shigella from hands, objects or food handled by someone infected with Shigella
- When a small amount of Shigella bacteria is ingested
- When drinking contaminated water found in ponds, streams, water fountains, pools and water parks
Currently the Kansas City Metro region, including Independence, is experiencing an increase in this infection. Your healthcare provider can diagnose Shigella by performing a stool culture. Shigella is highly contagious and anyone can get it. Some occupations and settings make Shigella more of a risk to the community. If you have Shigella and are a food handler, healthcare worker, or childcare provider or if your child has Shigella and is in daycare, the Health Department will require two negative cultures before returning to work or school.
So what should you do to prevent Shigella? Here are some Do’s and Don’ts.
Shigella Do’s
- Do wash hands with soap carefully and frequently, especially after going to the bathroom, after changing diapers, and before preparing foods or beverages.
- Do dispose of soiled diapers properly and disinfect diaper changing areas after using them.
- Do keep children with diarrhea out of childcare settings.
- Do supervise hand washing of toddlers and small children after they use the toilet.
- Do wash your hands after transferring wet clean laundry to the dryer
- Do wash fruits and vegetables before eating, even if it comes in a sealed bag
- Do wash and cut melons under running water
- Do keep all family members home when diarrhea is present
Shigella Don’ts
- Don’t swim in a pool, play in a fountain or use a sauna, spa or hot tub if you have diarrhea or have had diarrhea in the past two weeks
- Don’t drink from ponds, streams or swimming pools
- Don’t take over-the-counter anti-diarrhea medicines as they only make this infection worse. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids if you have diarrhea
- Don’t prepare food for others while ill with diarrhea
Preventing Shigella is much easier than to manage symptoms and miss school or work. Wash your hands often and wash them well.
Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a leading cause of foodborne illness. Based on a 1999 estimate, 73,000 cases of infection and 61 deaths occur in the United States each year.
Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection often causes severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Sometimes the infection causes non-bloody diarrhea or no symptoms. Usually little or no fever is present, and the illness resolves in five to ten days. In some persons, particularly children under 5 years of age and the elderly , the infection can also cause a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), in which the red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail.
People can become infected with E.coli O157:H7 in a variety of ways. Though most illness has been associated with eating undercooked, contaminated ground beef, people have also become ill from eating contaminated bean sprouts or fresh leafy vegetables such as lettuce and spinach. Person-to-person contact in families and childcare centers is also a known mode of transmission. In addition, infection can occur after drinking raw milk and after swimming in or drinking sewage-contaminated water.
Consumers can prevent E. coli O157:H7 infection by thoroughly cooking ground beef, avoiding unpasteurized milk, and by washing hands carefully before preparing or eating food. Fruits and vegetables should be washed well, but washing may not remove all contamination. Public service announcements on television, radio, or in the newspapers will advise you which foods to avoid in the event of an outbreak.
For more information please go to www.cdc.gov.
Healthcare Providers: For communicable disease information please see the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Communicable Disease Manual.
Respiratory infections such as influenza and the common cold are most often spread when infected people cough and sneeze and others come into contact with those droplets - either in the air or on objects touched by both groups. The best way to prevent infection is to practice good health habits:
- wash your hands regularly
- cover your cough and sneeze
- stay home when you are ill
- avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes
When covering your cough or sneeze most people use their hands, thinking this will prevent others from becoming ill. Unfortunately our hands spread the virus many more places after covering your cough or sneeze. Watch this video to learn more about properly covering your cough and sneeze.
The single best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated each year. October or November is the best time to get vaccinated, but you can still get vaccinated in December and later.
The viruses in the flu shot are dead (inactivated), so you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. About two weeks after vaccination, antibodies that provide protection against influenza virus infection develop in the body.
In general, anyone who wants to reduce the chances of getting the flu can get vaccinated. However, it is recommended that certain people should get vaccinated each year. They are either people who are at high risk of having serious flu complications or people who live with or care for those at high risk for serious complications.
People at more risk for complications from the flu include:
- Children aged 6 months through 18 years of age
- Pregnant women
- People 50 years of age and older
- People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
- People who live in nursing homes and other long term care facilities
You should not have a flu shot if:
- You have had a severe allergy to eggs
- You have had a severe reaction to a flu vaccination in the past
- You have developed Guillain-Barre syndrome within six weeks of getting a flu vaccine
- If you have a moderate to severe illness with fever