Britons are being urged to look out for the signs of a little-known bacterial infection after a “concerning” rise in cases.
From the start to the end of 2023, antibiotic-resistant shigella cases had increased by 53 percent, prompting a warning from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Shigella is a gut infection that causes diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever. It is caused by bacteria found in faeces.
It can be passed on through the faecal-oral route during sex, either directly or via unwashed hands and only a tiny amount of bacteria can spread the infection. According to the UKHSA, the rise in infections has been seen mainly in gay and bisexual men.
Symptoms are typically seen between one and four days after exposure and are commonly mistaken for food poisoning.
But in the case of one UK resident, the symptoms initially resembled a “bad hangover”.
Sharing his experience with The Metro, Darren Shoneye detailed how he was diagnosed with shigella after being intimate with someone on New Year’s Eve.
At first he thought he had just had too much to drink.
He wrote: “When I woke up on Sunday, I felt rough but I put that down to a heavy night of partying. I dozed on the sofa and waited for my hangover to pass.
“It wasn’t until Tuesday – three days after that night out – that I started to get worried.”
He lost his appetite and experienced stomach cramps, followed by “severe bloody diarrhoea”.
Darren said: “Over the next few days, I had diarrhoea up to 12 times each day. The only thing I could keep down was water. Even soups would send my symptoms spiralling.”
He called 111 and listed his symptoms but was just told to eat dry bread, which made his stomach feel worse.
A few days later he got an appointment with his GP who took a urine and stool sample.
And after describing his symptoms, he was told it might be shigellosis – a gastrointestinal infection caused by a family of bacteria known as shigella.
“I was confused, I’d never even heard of it before,” Darren said.
By the time he got the test results back confirming that was what it was, the GP said there was no point in prescribing antibiotics, as he’d already been through the worst of it.
Now Darren is urging others to be aware of the symptoms and how to protect themselves from infection.
Symptoms
According to the Terrence Higgins Trust, some people with shigella may experience no symptoms at all.
Symptoms of the infection usually start to appear one to two days after contact with the bacteria.
These include:
- Diarrhoea
- Stomach cramps
- Fever
- Nausea and vomiting.
In more serious cases, diarrhoea can be severe and may contain blood or mucus.
The infection can be cured with antibiotics, but not everyone will need them.
If you think you have shigella, you should seek medical advice from your GP or by visiting a sexual health clinic.
To lower the risk of transmission, the Terrence Higgins Trust recommends:
- Washing your hands during or after sex, especially if you’re rimming, touching someone’s backside or handling used condoms or sex toys
- Wearing condoms for anal sex
- Latex gloves to offer protection if fingering or fisting
- For barrier protection when rimming, cut a condom up into a square
- Don’t share sex toys or douching equipment
- Skin on the buttocks, around the backside or groin may carry the bacteria, so avoid licking these areas
- Showering after sex is even better than washing.
