VENETA, Ore. -- Lane County health authorities are looking into two cases of the bacterial illness shigella reported from the annual Oregon Country Fair near Veneta west of Eugene.

The victims have recovered but health officials say others may have had it and not identified the symptoms.

They say that because of the incubation period it is unlikely that other fairgoers will come down with the illness but that it can be transmitted to others.

Shigella typically is spread when people don't wash their hands after using the bathroom and then prepare, serve or eat food. It is characterized by acute diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever, sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

Lane County Environmental Health Supervisor Jeff Lang said fair managers do more than the law requires to ensure food safety.

The reports of the illness are the first in the county this year, although it pops up almost every year.