Moniteau County Health Department investigating Shigella outbreak

UPDATE: The Moniteau County Health Department says its investigating a Shigella outbreak in mid-Missouri.

Officials posted on the department’s Facebook page saying it was investigating nearly 80 cases of people experiencing symptoms consistent with Shigella.

Shigella is a bacterial infection of the intestines which can cause diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, stomach cramps and fever.

The department says among the people sickened are students, faculty and family members. However, the department did not specify which schools were impacted by the outbreak.

This comes just days after ABC 17 News confirmed the Tipton RVI school district had three confirmed cases of Shigella.

ORIGINAL STORY: As the school year for Tipton students ended Thursday, some teachers and students are starting their summer sick, possibly with Shigella.

There are three confirmed cases of the bacterial infection in students at the elementary over the past several weeks. On Thursday, two kindergarten teachers and as many as 20 students got sick with vomiting, but it’s unclear if Shigella is to blame in those cases.

Shigella is a bacteria closely related to Salmonella, often causing vomiting, diarrhea, and sometimes fever.

Superintendent Scott Jarvis tells ABC 17 News he has ordered the district’s buildings to be disinfected.