Confirmed Cryptosporidiosis Cases in Northeast Kansas Total 141
Three New Riley County Cases Are First There Since 2000

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has confirmed a total of 141 cryptosporidiosis cases in Northeast Kansas. There are three new cases in Riley County, none of which have been linked to the Douglas County outbreak at this time. This is the first time cryptosporidium has been reported in Riley County since 2000, when there was one case reported there.

There are no new cases from Douglas County (89), Jefferson (2), Johnson (18), Leavenworth (2), Shawnee (9) or Wyandotte (2) counties. Of the 89 cases reported in Douglas County, 56 (63%) are in children 18 years or younger and 33 (38%) are in adults). Seven of the 36 non-Douglas County cases are linked to the Douglas County outbreak (total 96 in NE Kansas with Douglas County connection). The remaining could have been acquired independently from the Douglas County outbreak or could be related through yet unrecognized links.

In addition to the cases listed above from Northeast Kansas, there have been 16 cases in other Kansas counties since January. None of these other cases are currently linked to the Douglas County outbreak. Last year Kansas reported 16 cases of cryptosporidiosis, so it is not uncommon to have this number of cases in parts of the state, even in the absence of an outbreak.

KDHE has contacted the Local Health Departments in Northeast Kansas about the possibility of transmission of Cryptosporidium, and is urging health departments to contact all physicians in these counties regarding this.

Once the parasite is established in the community, local transmission could occur through person to person contact, day care facilities, swimming and wading pools or recreational waters.

There is no reason to believe the public water supplies in any of these counties are impacted.

KDHE strongly recommends the following precautions to prevent further spread of the disease:

Hygiene:

• Wash hands thoroughly, especially after using the bathroom and before preparing food.
• Wash hands after changing diapers, or after caring for someone with diarrhea.

Day cares:

• It is recommended day cares enforce strict adherence to hygiene procedures and exclusion policies for children with diarrhea. Children with diarrhea should not be dropped off at day cares. Employees with diarrhea should be excluded from work.
• Wash hands after every diaper change, even if you are wearing gloves.
• Assist children with hand washing.

Swimming:

• Do not swim when ill with diarrhea or for two weeks after the end of diarrhea. Cryptosporidium is chlorine resistant.
• Do not swallow pool/lake/river water.
• Practice good hygiene (i.e. shower before swimming).

Restaurants:

• Employees should carefully wash hands after using the bathroom, before preparing food.
• Employees with diarrhea should be excluded from food preparation activities.

Drinking Water:

• Avoid drinking untreated water from shallow wells, lakes, rivers, springs, ponds and streams

High Risk Individuals:

• Immunosuppressed persons (undergoing cancer treatment, HIV/AIDS, organ transplant recipients and/or receiving steroid treatment) should be vigilant in following prevention guidelines as Cryptosporidium can cause life threatening, chronic diarrhea in persons with weakened immune systems.
• Persons ill with Cryptosporidium should avoid close personal contact with persons with weakened immune systems (see above). If persons with weakened immune systems become infected, Cryptosporidium can be a life-threatening disease.
• Children and pregnant women should take care to drink plenty of fluids to avoid the dehydration from diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium. They should consult a health care provider for information on preventing dehydration.

Back to KDHE News Release Index