Investigation of Shigellosis Outbreak in A Daycare Center in Sijhih City, Taipei County

Donald Dah-Shyong Jiang

2009 Vol.25 NO.1

Correspondence Author： Donald Dah-Shyong Jiang

Abstract：

Shigellosis is a highly contagious disease that can easily lead to outbreaks in our community. A doctor from a local hospital reported a case of shigellosis and the case was later tracked to an outbreak of the infection within his family. Afterwards, the infection was then traced through one of the children in that family to his daycare center. Another outbreak of shigellosis was then found at that daycare center. This report investigates the process of infection in the cases, transmission route, possible origin, and the assessment of the effectiveness of the preventive measures taken.
Four members of the Lin family, 29 persons from the daycare center, and 12 other family members of the infected children were involved in this outbreak of shigellosis. 3 members of the Lin family are confirmed cases, whereas 5 cases at the daycare center were confirmed cases. Among the 5 confirmed cases at the daycare center, 2 were in the senior class and 3 in the junior class all of which were tested positive for S. sonnei in the rectal samples collected. One of the infected students from the senior class transmitted the disease to his father and younger sister. Due to the fact that 3 of the students started to show symptoms on the 5th and 6th of April, it is suspected that the transmission path is possibly common source infection. Some of the infected persons became carriers not showing any symptoms which may have possibly infected 2 more students with S. sonnei afterwards.
After medial treatment, sanitation of the classrooms and surrounding environment, the quarantine of the middle class students, enhancing of personal hygiene habits, and improving diarrhea report surveillance, the shigellosis outbreak was controlled and then pronounced ended by May 2.
Keywords: shigellosis, Shigella sonnei, cluster, epidemiology