The Jordanian Minister of Health warns: the “Shigella” virus infects children and the elderly
Today, Saturday, the Jordanian Minister of Health, Firas Al-Hawari, said that the “Shigella” bacterium is highly contagious for children and the elderly.
Al-Hawari visited Jerash Governmental Hospital and checked on the health status of nine children who were admitted for symptoms of poisoning.
He indicated that the Shigella germ may be responsible for these poisoning cases, as the new cases came three days after the arrival of previous cases, so these new cases are likely to be caused by the transmission of infection from one person to another within the same family, which was At least one person has been infected with it in the past, or among people who live within the same residential complex.
Al-Hawari added that the Ministry of Health teams have been deployed since dawn today, Saturday, to take more samples to clarify whether this secondary spread is the result of the transmission of the germ among the infected.
The Jordanian minister explained that Shigella is highly contagious, and children and the elderly are the most likely to be infected, which is usually cured after three days of infection, and usually does not need to be treated with antibiotics, except in severe cases that require the clinical picture.
He pointed out that this germ is usually active in the fall, and is transmitted to humans through water and food if present in them, as it is transmitted from one body to another through contact.
Safety measures and washing hands, vegetables and fruits are among the most important pillars of controlling the spread of this infection after the initial poisoning.
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