http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/05/us/flint-hit-with-bacterial-illness-as-residents-shun-city-water.html 2016-10-04 20:59:53 Flint Hit With Bacterial Illness as Residents Shun City Water An outbreak of Shigellosis, a bacterial illness that is transmitted when people do not wash their hands, is rising in Genesee County, home to the city of Flint. === Residents of Flint, Mich., affected by the contaminated-water crisis have added a new complication to their lives: an outbreak of Health department officials in Genesee County, where Flint is the largest city, said there has been an increase in the gastrointestinal illness that can lead to severe From the beginning of the year through the week ending Oct. 1, that county had 85 cases, the highest number in the state, according to the latest The number of cases of Shigellosis (she-guh-LO-sis) throughout the state has totaled 454 so far this year. There were 515 cases of the food-borne illness in all of 2015, and 309 cases in 2014. “Shigella cases are on the rise across Michigan,” the county health department statement said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Trust in Flint’s water has been severely low since a lead-contamination crisis after residents The city later switched Residents have been relying on bottled water to drink at home but “Baby wipes are not effective: They’re not chlorinated, it doesn’t kill the bacteria, and it doesn’t replace hand-washing,” Jim Henry, Genesee County’s environmental health supervisor, The C.D.C. and other agencies recommend washing hands with warm, soapy water A voice mail message left for Mr. Henry on Tuesday was not immediately returned. It’s not the first time that a disease outbreak has been linked to the Flint water system. It was also associated with an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease from June 2014 to October 2015. At least 87 people developed the disease in Genesee County, and 10 died, The outbreak coincided with Flint’s change to the new water source, and officials said they could not rule out a connection.