CDC warns drug resistant stomach bug called Shigella. US health officials are alerting the public about an increase in a drug-resistant type of stomach illness that kills thousands of Americans yearly.
CDC warns drug resistant stomach bug: What is it?
The bacteria is known as Shigella which causes diseases like diarrhea and stomach pain. Health officials have seen an increase in cases connected to the drug-resistant strain since 2015.
Health officials described to it as a “major public health danger” because infections could not be treated with medication.
It can result in serious sickness or even death without quick medical treatment.
CDC warns drug resistant stomach bug in a statement on Friday that while no infections were related to the Shigella XDR strain in 2015, 5% of cases would be in 2022.
The strain, which is resistant to the five antibiotics that are most frequently used to treat it, was responsible for 1% of all cases in the US in 2019.
CDC warns drug resistant stomach bug: The disease spreads easily
According to the CDC, Shigella can spread “easily” through the surface and direct contact with an infected person’s feces. It can result in shigellosis, a type of dysentery that is one of the most common causes of death associated with diarrhea globally.
The cases can be controlled with the right fluids and rest. Authorities claim that frequent hand washing can prevent it. Nowadays, it results in fewer than five fatalities yearly in the US.
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According to the CDC, those who are immunocompromised, overseas travelers, males who have sex with men, and the homeless are at higher risk of contracting the XDR strain.
The CDC urged medical personnel to be alert in spotting and reporting XDR Shigella infection to their local or state health departments and informing patients and communities at higher risk about prevention and transmission.
Last year, UK officials also warned about an “unusually high number of illnesses” connected to the XDR strain.