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.
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.
- 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.
To report a suspected foodborne or waterborne illness call 1-877-FOOD-ILL.
Spotlight
Safer Farm Animal Contact Exhibits (Safer FACEs)
The Safer Farm Animal Contact Exhibits (Safer FACEs) training program can help you understand the risks of illness and injury from farm animals, and how to protect your visitors. Complete this free online training and the Minnesota Department of Health will provide certification that your venue has learned about these issues.
Prevent Cross- Contamination
Preventing cross-contamination is a key factor in preventing foodborne illness.
Chicks and Ducklings: Salmonella
Those cute little chicks and ducklings can be a great attraction for children this time of year, but they can also be a source of illness, so it's important for those who handle them to take steps to prevent infection.
Norovirus Infection
Noroviruses are members of a group of viruses called caliciviruses also known previously as “Norwalk-like viruses.” Learn more about Norovirus, how to minimize your risk of acquiring norovirus infection, required reporting information, clinical features, laboratory diagnosis, treatment and more.
There's No Such Thing as "Stomach Flu" (PDF)
Complaints of "stomach flu" are usually norovirus, the most common cause of gastrointestinal illness.
Food Safety Basics: Preventing Foodborne Illness
There's a lot you can do to handle and prepare your food safely. Learn what you can do to prepare, serve and store food safely.
Protect others if you are experiencing diarrhea!
Anyone with a diarrheal illness should avoid swimming in public pools or lakes, sharing baths with others, and preparing food for others.
Young children (children in diapers) that are experiencing diarrhea should not be allowed to go swimming or attend daycare.
Contact us:
If you have questions or comments about this page, use our IDEPC Comment Form or call 651-201-5414 for the MDH Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division.
