For hundreds of tourists coming home, a holiday to the beautiful island country of Cape Verde off the coast of Africa has turned into a nightmare. Since last fall, a multi-country outbreak of Shigella bacteria, a common but often dangerous stomach disease, has been linked to travel from the island.
Around 200 instances, including individuals returning to the United States, have been documented, and some cases are thought to develop multidrug resistance to drugs used to treat the condition.
Diarrhea Outbreak
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) issued a report on the outbreak earlier this month. The outbreak appears to have started around September 2022, although it “evolved rapidly” from November to December of that year. “Most cases have stayed in five-star, all-inclusive hotels in the Santa Maria region of the island Sal,” the ECDC reported.
Thus far, 221 confirmed cases and 37 probable cases have been reported in 10 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Although no deaths have been reported, at least one person has been hospitalized as a result (in Portugal).
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Shigella Symptoms
According to the World Health Organization, Shigella is the primary cause of bacterial diarrhea worldwide. Most infections are self-limiting if extremely unpleasant, resulting in a week of diarrhea (occasionally bloody diarrhea, sometimes known as dysentery), cramps, and fever.
It can also cause severe dehydration or other life-threatening consequences in extremely young children or individuals with weaker immune systems.
While most Shigella infections resolve on their own, severe cases necessitate immediate medical attention, including medications. Sadly, Shigella, like many other bacterial diseases, is constantly learning how to evade these treatments.
There are approximately 80 to 165 million cases of shigella worldwide every year, according to the CDC. The infection can cause severe and sometimes life-threatening complications in very young children or those with weakened immunity.
While officials aren’t sure how the outbreak has spread, the most likely cause is through contaminated food or water. The infection can also spread from person to person through poor hygiene and even sex.