Reports say that the outbreak started from a restaurant named Mariscos San Juan, on Fourth Street.
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The owners have been cooperating with county health inspectors, officials have said, but have refused several interview requests.
On Monday, the health experts at the Santa Clara County reported that the number of new Shigella victims are on the rise since this risky bacteria broke out at a diner in San Jose earlier this week.
The Mariscos restaurant was closed on October 18, after reports of the illnesses began flooding in from people who had eaten there one or two days prior. There are two other branches of the restaurant in San Jose, which will remain open for the time being.
In all three complaints, the owners are identified as Sergio Becerra Cruz and Lourdes Garcia Becerra.
Santa Clara County’s Department of Environmental Health is investigating what led to the outbreak.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shigellosis, caused by the bacterial group shigella, is an infectious disease that usually results in diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps a day or two after exposure to the bacteria.
Almost all patients dinned out at the restaurant, while very few cases occurred when a person was exposed to the bacteria after coming into contact with infected persons.
The public has been advised to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to stop the disease from spreading, health officials said.
According to a public health spokeswoman with Alameda County, Sherri Willis, eight adults and one child in the county have been confirmed with the infection.
In another statement, Allison Thrash, from Santa Clara County Public health Department said “Shigella is extremely contagious”.
By the end of last week, 144 cases were reported in Santa Clara County and 38 more in other counties including Santa Cruz, Alameda, and San Mateo.
But now it apparently seems that the efforts to confine the unsafe outbreak has not been strong enough as more cases of Shigella are being reported from across five more counties. County officials said last week that the restaurant had complied with hand-washing rules for food handlers.
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One of the six people is a San Benito County resident who ate at the seafood eatery with one of the five Merced County residents, Grassi said.
