Sunday, the Director of Jerash Governmental Hospital, Sadiq Al-Atoum, said that the number of poisoning cases recorded in Jerash since Saturday at dawn has reached 22 cases, bringing the total number to 80, indicating that 16 people are still under treatment.

Saturday evening, the Director of Jerash Governmental Hospital, Sadiq Al-Atoum, said that the number of poisoning cases recorded in Jerash has reached 12.

The total number of poisoning cases since the first infection has reached 70 cases.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Assistant Secretary-General of the Ministry of Health for Epidemiological Affairs, Ghazi Sharkas, said that the preliminary results of the samples that were analyzed for the people who were poisoned in Jerash showed that the cause of their sickness is a bacteria called Shigella.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Shigella bacteria is highly contagious and is caused by “touching surfaces contaminated with germs from stool from a sick person, such as toys, bathroom fixtures, changing tables or diaper pails” or “swallowing recreational water (for example, lake or river water) while swimming or drinking water that is contaminated with stool (fecal matter) containing the germ.”

“Symptoms usually begin 1–2 days after infection and last 7 days. Most people recover without needing antibiotics,” according to the CDC.

On Monday evening, Oct. 11,  15 cases were suspected to have been poisoned.

The Director of Communicable Diseases, Ali Zitawi, said that all of the patients are under the age of 12 and suffered from the same symptoms: abdominal pain, fever, diarrhea and vomiting.