Array
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health alert to warn the public about a potentially antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as Shigella.
In the advisory issued (pdf) Feb. 24, the CDC said it has been monitoring an increase in people infected with Shigella strains that are resistant to drugs. Known as shigellosis, Shigella infections generally cause diarrhea that can be bloody, fever, and abdominal cramps.
The agency, in its Feb. 24 notice, said it is “monitoring an increase in extensively drug-resistant Shigella infections reported through national surveillance systems” and said that about 5 percent of “Shigella infections reported to CDC were caused by” drug-resistant strains. That’s compared with 0 percent in 2015, it noted.
“Given these potentially serious public health concerns, CDC asks healthcare professionals to be vigilant about suspecting and reporting cases of [drug-resistant] Shigella infection to their local or state health department and educating patients and communities at increased risk about prevention and transmission,” the CDC advisory said.
The CDC said that previously, shigellosis most often affected children under the age of 4. In recent years, drug-resistant infections have been seen in adults, namely in HIV-infected people, homosexual males, international travelers, and homeless people.
The notice said that most patients recover from shigellosis without antibiotics and oral rehydration may be sufficient for many people who are dealing with shigellosis.
