Your ultimate guide to proper hand-washing
When people ask how to protect themselves against the spread of COVID-19, one of the first suggestions from doctors is washing your hands. Here are the do’s and don’ts.
A drug-resistant strain of shigella infections, which cause diarrhea, are increasing in the United States, according to federal health officials.
In an April 9 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, officials found the infections, which have no Food and Drug Administration–approved oral treatment, have jumped 8.5% from 2011 to 2023.
Officials called the increase “a public health threat,” especially since shigella is spread easily from person to person through fecal-oral transmission, sexual contact or through contaminated food and water. Shigella bacteria is responsible for an estimated 450,000 infections each year nationwide.
“Strengthened surveillance, timely reporting and targeted prevention strategies are needed to limit transmission of XDR (extensively drug-resistant) Shigella strains,” the report noted.
Historically in the U.S., shigellosis − the illness that comes from shigella infections − primarily affected children, but the data from 2016 to 2023 in the latest report showed cases were predominantly non-Hispanic White men.
In addition to diarrhea that can be bloody, shigellosis can also cause stomach pain and fever.
This isn’t the first time health officials have rung the alarm on shigella.
In 2023, the CDC issued a health advisory warning about the XDR strain, saying it’s a growing threat because it resists commonly-used oral antibiotics.
“It’s hard to put the genie back in the bottle,” Dr. Aaron Glatt, an epidemiologist and chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau in New York, told USA TODAY at the time. “We are going to be seeing strains here that are resistant to the commonly used treatments.”
The CDC suggests several steps to avoid getting or spreading shigella, including:
- Wash your hands properly.
- Avoid swallowing water while swimming.
- Follow safe food and water habits when traveling.
- If you or your partner is diagnosed with shigellosis, do not have sex for at least two weeks after symptoms end.
