A nasty bug called Shigella has infected some Shasta County residents. More than a dozen cases, some requiring hospitalization, have been reported to Health and Human Services. Shigella is a stomach bug with symptoms that include diarrhea that’s sometimes bloody, fever, stomach pain and feeling the need pass a bowel movement when the bowels are empty. Symptoms set in one to three days after infection and last for seven days, though it can effect the bowels for several months. It takes only a tiny bit of bacteria to spread, and it gets in through the mouth by way of dirty hands or food prepared by an infected person. It most easily spreads among young children in daycare or school settings. There’s more information at shastacounty.gov/hhs.