Alberta Health Services (AHS) announced that the Shigella outbreak that impacted Edmonton's inner-city population is over.
The outbreak was declared last summer. Over several months, 206 people were diagnosed with Shigella, with 139 of those people requiring hospitalization.
At one point, the population of infected individuals doubled in less than a month.
With no cases reported in the last two weeks, AHS has declared the outbreak over, but they do expect to see sporadic cases appear in the months to come.
Shigella is a bacterium that causes diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. In many cases, it can be severe enough to result in hospitalization.
Shigella spreads when someone comes in contact with fecal matter from an infected person, or by eating food contaminated with the bacteria.