With over 200 cases of shigellosis reported in the state and many parents in Indiana are keeping children out of the water where it’s believed many are contracting the illness.

In Michigan this summer Kalamazoo County has been the heart of the same nasty bacterial intestinal disease, and the numbers continue to grow.

“It’s all over the board. We’re at 42 confirmed or probable cases,” said Mike Phillips, disease surveillance nurse, Kalamazoo Community Health and Community Services.

An acute bacterial disease involving the intestinal tract, with symptoms often including bloody diarrhea, shigella “is really rough on an old person or a young person,” Phillips said.

Shigella bacteria are passed, when a person comes in contact with the fecal matter of an infected person. This contact can come from the hands or clothing of an infected person up to a week after the person no longer shows signs of the condition. As hand washing, and careful cleanup are methods of preventing the spread of the condition, it often affects young children who still might have trouble with basic hygiene. It is often seen in toddlers who are not fully toilet trained and can pass along to other members of the child’s family.