Officials confirmed that the outbreak of shigella from San Jose in the San Francisco Bay Area have spread to three other counties.
Currently, the number of individuals that have been infected by the bacterial disease has already risen to over 110, The Los Angeles Times reported.
According to public health officials, 92 patients of the 110 cases reside in Santa Clara County. The other 18 are from other nearby counties. The officials reported that the disease has already reached Alameda, Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties.
The San Mateo County Health System confirmed that the cases reported in the region are connected to the original outbreak in San Jose, where dozens of people immediately fell sick after dining in the area's Mariscos San Juan Restaurant over the weekend.
Many of those who developed the disease were immediately rushed to hospitals while others required intensive care treatment. One of the victims, named Grefory Meissner, already filed a lawsuit against the establishment after being hospitalized due to the disease.
According to health officials, people may develop shigella after eating food prepared by someone who has also been infected by the disease. The disease can also spread if human sewage or contaminated flies come into contact with the food.
Dr. Sara Cody, a health officer for the Santa Clara County said that the bacteria that cause shigella disease can spread easily, CBS San Francisco reported.
"It's quite contagious and it doesn't take very many individual organisms to get ill," she said in a statement.
Those who get infected with the bacterial disease will immediately feel its symptoms within a day or two. These include abdominal pain, diarrhea and fever. The symptoms can last up to seven days and can also be fatal for some individuals.
Back in 2000, about 200 individuals were infected with the disease that originated from the Viva Mexico bar and restaurant in California's Redwood City. 70 of those infected suffered food poisoning and a female patient died from the disease.
The owners of the establishment paid $650,000 to the family of the deceased as settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit.
To prevent the spread of the disease in the San Francisco Bay Area, health officials from Santa Clara Country strongly advised the public, specifically certain professionals, to take proper precaution.
"People with diarrhea - even mild - must not work, especially food service workers, healthcare providers and childcare workers," the officials said in a statement. "Proper and frequent hand washing is very important in preventing continued spread."
