Preventing Shigellosis

Minimizing Your Risk

Wash your hands

• Wash hands after using the bathroom and changing diapers, and before handling or eating any food.
  
  
• Wash hands before preparing food for yourself or others.
  
  
• Make sure that persons with diarrhea, especially children, wash their hands carefully and frequently with soap to reduce the risk of spreading the infection.
  • This is particularly important in daycare/preschool situations, where many outbreaks have occurred due to person-to-person spread.
• Hand Hygiene
  Learn more about the importance of handwashing and the proper way to wash hands.

Keep ill children home from daycare and preschool

• Children should not attend daycare or preschool with diarrhea.
  
  
• Children and adults may be subject to certain restrictions from daycare/preschool or food service when they are ill with a diarrheal illness.
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  Restrictions on Child Care Attendance for Children or Staff in a Daycare or Preschool

Use caution when swimming

• Avoid swallowing lake or pool water while swimming.
  
  
• Anyone with a diarrheal illness should avoid swimming in public pools or lakes, sharing baths with others, and preparing food for others.
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• Healthy Swimming
  CDC; Contains information on recreational water illnesses.
  

Do you suspect that you have a foodborne or waterborne illness? Visit reporting suspected foodborne/waterborne illnesses.