07/30/2008

Associated Press

Health officials now say as many as eight people may have contracted the bacterial illness shigella at the Oregon Country Fair near Veneta.

Previously, only two cases had been linked to the fair, according to public health nurse Martha DeBroekert.

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.

To be considered part of the outbreak, people had to have been sick with diarrhea lasting more than 48 hours, attended the fair between July 10-13 and fallen ill between one and four days after attending the fair.

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Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com