Shigella is a bacterium that spreads very easily from person-to-person because it only takes a very small number of Shigella bacteria to make a person sick. Characteristics of Shigella illness can include stomach pain and cramps, diarrhea with mucus and sometimes blood, and fever.

Shigella bacteria are found in the feces of infected individuals and it is most commonly spread from person-to-person.

Most people with Shigellosis will get better on their own in 5-7 days. However, the illness can be more severe in children, the elderly and people with chronic conditions.

If you have Shigellosis you may experience mild or severe diarrhea (which can be watery, bloody or contain mucus), fever, nausea and stomach cramps. On average, the illness lasts seven days, but rarely it can last for up to a month. Some people infected with Shigella may have no or very mild symptoms but they can still pass the illness to others without knowing it. Therefore hand washing always after using the washroom, even in those who are well, is very important. And especially if you are yourself ill, or have been in contact with a patient with Shigella.

• If you or your child have diarrhea, especially with fever, painful cramps, and mucus and blood, contact your doctor. They can arrange for assessment and treatment.
  
• Stay home from work or school, and from visiting friends and relatives, preferably until at least 48 hours after your diarrhea has stopped. This is especially important if you work in an occupation such as food service, childcare, eldercare or healthcare because you may infect those at high risk of severe illness.
  
• Wash your hands properly and often. Hand washing with soap and running warm water, especially after using the toilet, is the single most important way to stop the spread of Shigella.
  
• If you are sick, do not prepare food for others.
  

The spread of Shigella from an infected person to other persons can be stopped by frequent and careful hand washing with soap. Frequent and careful hand washing is important among all age groups. Hand washing among children should be frequent and supervised by an adult especially in daycare centers and homes with children who have not been fully toilet trained.

If a child in diapers has shigellosis, everyone who changes the child's diapers should be sure the diapers are disposed of properly in a closed-lid garbage can, and should wash his or her hands and the child's hands carefully with soap and warm water immediately after changing the diapers. After use, the diaper changing area should be wiped down with a disinfectant such as diluted household bleach, or bactericidal wipes. When possible, young children with a Shigella infection who are still in diapers should not be in contact with uninfected children.

Basic food safety precautions and disinfection of drinking water prevents Shigella contamination of food and water. However, people with shigellosis should not prepare food or drinks for others until they have been shown to no longer be carrying the Shigella bacterium, or if they have had no diarrhea for at least 2 days.