Public health officials now report 93 suspected cases of Shigella
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A contagious bacteria sickening diners at a South Bay restaurant is spreading to people who never even ate there.
Santa Clara County public health officials are now reporting 93 suspected cases of Shigella, with 24 cases confirmed by lab tests.
The outbreak is linked to Mariscos San Juan, a seafood restaurant in downtown San Jose on North 4th Street.
Meanwhile, the Santa Cruz County Public Health Communicable Disease Unit is currently investigating suspect cases of Shigella as well. These cases may also be linked to the current Shigella outbreak in Santa Clara County.
VIDEO: 80 sickened in Shigella outbreak linked to San Jose restaurant
One woman who ate the contaminated seafood told ABC7 News about her trip to the hospital E.R. Alicia Ingram was discharged from the hospital Tuesday, but many others remain hospitalized.
Alicia said, "I wanted shrimp tacos, so I just Yelped somewhere like 'Mexican seafood.'"
However, she had no idea her craving for seafood would land her in the hospital. It wasn't until she collapsed in the hallway, that her family rushed her to the emergency room. If Alicia didn't make it to the hospital when she did, she could have ended up in the ICU.
"They got my heart rate back to normal and my blood pressure up," Alicia recalls.
Click here for details on Shigella from the CDC
The symptoms include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps starting a day or two after being exposed to the bacteria. The symptoms usually go away in 5-10 days. Shigella can be stopped by frequent and careful hand-washing with soap.
MORE: Prevention tips from the CDC
Officials believe someone preparing the food most likely spread the bacteria, so stool samples from employees will be collected and tested.
Alicia's father, Barry Ingram, told ABC7 News, "I was so angry because I feel that if anything, for their reputation, you think they would say, 'Ok, we're going to check into this.' But the doctor told us he's not being very compliant."
