Two more cases of crypto confirmed
September 29, 2006
Lawrence Journal-World (KS)
George Diepenbrock
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2006/sep/29/two_more_cases_crypto_confirmed/?city_local
The diseases are pesky, and new cases are still cropping up.
Area health experts warn residents to wash their hands and follow other advice to stay healthy.
The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department reported two more confirmed cases of cryptosporidiosis Thursday.
The new cases involve adults with no connection to child care facilities, and health officials are not sure how they may have contracted the disease.
“It’s really hard to tell at this point. We just know that they were isolated,” said Sheryl Tirol Goodwin, a health department spokeswoman.
The county now has nine cases of cryptosporidiosis and eight of giardiasis. Most are toddlers and children. Three people have had both diseases.
Parasites cryptosporidium and giardia, spread by fecal-oral contact, can cause diarrhea and other symptoms.
Some of the first cases in August were children and staff members concentrated at a Lawrence day care center. Health experts have found no connection to swimming pools in the county.
Prevention tips
“It is encouraging because if it was to go through transmission through swimming pools, it would go very quickly,” Tirol Goodwin said.
The county also now has 11 confirmed or probable cases of pertussis, or whooping cough. Most of the cases have involved children preschool to elementary age, and two have been adults.
No infants have contracted the disease. For prevention, experts advise against sharing items for eating or drinking, even for athletic teams, Tirol Goodwin said.
Though the frequency of new mumps cases has slowed down considerably since the outbreak started in the spring, the county has had more than 25 new cases since mid-August.
Now health experts have reported 339 confirmed or probable cases for the year.
The county must go 50 days without a new case for the outbreak to end.
“It’s slowly but surely. We’ve been getting cases still. Nothing where we’ve doubled numbers or anything like that,” Tirol Goodwin said.
