If a child has mushy diarrhea, often with blood or mucus, and also suffers from abdominal pain, fever and a general feeling of illness, the child may have dysentery. This is also called the Shigella infection. What is it, what are the causes and what are the consequences?

Dysentery

Dysentery is a serious form of diarrhea caused by the Shingella bacteria. This infection is mainly contracted abroad, under conditions where good hygiene is not possible.

Symptoms and complications

Common symptoms of Dysentery are;

• Mushy diarrhea, often with blood or mucus,
• abdominal cramps,
• Fever,
• General feeling of illness.

Contamination and consequences

Dysentery is highly contagious, the stool of an infected or sick child contains many of these bacteria and some of them are enough to become infected. The bacteria can also enter the mouth via hands and objects. Dysentery is also caused by eating contaminated food.

Exclusion from daycare, playgroup or school

With some infectious diseases, a child is not welcome at a daycare center, playgroup or school for a while because of the high risk of infection. The GGD (Municipal Health Care) has drawn up rules for this. If there is bloody diarrhea, a child will in any case be excluded. Research is then conducted and if it turns out that a child has dysentery, the exclusion must be continued. Any brothers and sisters are also excluded from these institutions and consultations will take place with the GGD when the children are welcome again.

Report to the GGD

For some infectious diseases, a treating physician is obliged to report to the GGD that a child has this infectious disease. A doctor who has diagnosed Dysentery is obliged to report this.