Health officials are urging thorough and frequent hand-washing, especially at child-care centers, after an increase of shigellosis in northeast Kansas.

The disease typically lasts 5 to 7 days. It is spread by fecal-oral contact and can cause severe diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, according to Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

KDHE on Monday said cases in Leavenworth, Wyandotte and Johnson counties totaled 92 on Friday, while the median number per year for the three counties since 2001 had been 26.

“The number of individuals now impacted by shigellosis in Northeast Kansas tells us that we all must be more diligent about hand washing,” Gail Hansen, a state epidemiologist, said.