Health warning after cases of 'highly contagious' drug-resistant Shigella spike
A dose of the sniffles is almost inevitable when the weather turns into winter, but this time of the year also brings another common but much nastier illness – the "winter vomiting bug".
The bug, called shigellosis or shigella, is more common in young children than it is adults. Also known as bacillary dysentery – it is a highly infectious disease caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella, which is closely related to Salmonella, with Shigella Sonnei being the most common type with two thirds of reported cases.
And this winter, health experts are warning that there has been a "concerning rise in cases" of the gut infection Shigella, which is "extremely drug-resistant". The bug causes diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever, and incidences have surged by 53 percent since the beginning of 2023.
Infections rose steadily between January and November this year, peaking at 485 in September. That big jump has mainly been down to an "extensively antibiotic-resistant" strain of Shigella sonnei, the UK Health Security Agency said, with it being behind a cluster of 97 cases reported up until November this year, the health watchdog said.
In the whole of last year, only four drug-resistant Shigella sonnei infections were reported. The UKHSA explained: "The strain is difficult to treat because it does not respond to the antibiotics typically used to treat Shigella." The watchdog add that people in all regions of England had been diagnosed with the condition – but cases were centred in London, with 45 infections reported.
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Dr Gauri Godbole, Consultant Medical Microbiologist at UKHSA, said: "This is a concerning rise in cases of this antibiotic resistant strain, meaning treatment can be very difficult. It’s important that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men do not dismiss their symptoms and speak to their GP or sexual health clinic, mentioning Shigella, if they are unwell.
"[People] with Shigella may have been exposed to other sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, so a sexual health screen at a clinic or ordering tests online is recommended." There were 21 people in the north west who came down with bug, while in the south east there were 12 reported infections.
It follows a similar rise in of cases of extensively antibiotic-resistant Shigella sonnei infections in January 2022 - but this outbreak was caused by a different strain of the bug and the UKHSA said: "Cases of Shigella have been rising since the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in July 2021, with annual cases now higher than the average before the pandemic.
Once infected, the symptoms can be unpleasant, but in most cases they will ease off in a week. However, in more serious cases, some people may need hospital treatment with intravenous antibiotic treatment, even though that may not even be effective. That level of treatment is recommended if you have severe symptoms, diarrhoea for over a week or have underlying immunodeficiency.
Shigella caused by bacteria found in poo that's extremely infectious and can be passed between people during sex and Dr Godbole said: "One of the best ways to protect yourself and your partners is to practice good hygiene after sex. Avoid oral sex immediately after anal sex, and change condoms between anal or oral sex and wash your hands with soap after sexual contact."
The UKHSA advised that symptoms tend to appear between one and four days after exposure and are commonly mistaken for food poisoning, adding: "Don’t have sex until seven days after your last symptom and avoid spas, swimming, jacuzzis, hot tubs and sharing towels, as well as preparing food for other people until a week after symptoms stop."
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