Increase in antibiotic resistant Shigella

Several different strains of Shigella are circulating in NSW with resistance to key recommended antibiotics.

The majority of these infections are thought to have been acquired through male to male sexual contact.

If you have symptoms of shigellosis

See your doctor.

While you are waiting for confirmation of your infection and effectiveness of antibiotics, follow the advice below to prevent the spread of Shigella, as shigellosis readily spreads from person to person.

Antibiotics reduce infectiousness and may also shorten the duration and severity of illness, however we recommend your doctor wait until antibiotic susceptibility results are available before prescribing antibiotics in case your strain of infection is found to be resistant to the usual antibiotics prescribed.

If you have been diagnosed with shigellosis

To prevent the spread of antibiotic resistant shigellosis:

Don’t have sex (especially where there is any contact with the anus) until no longer infectious (usually 1 week after symptoms resolve).
Don’t prepare food or drink for others, share utensils, provide personal care for others, or share linen or towels while sick.
Don’t swim in a pool until 24 hours after the diarrhoea has stopped.
Wash your hands often and thoroughly, especially after using the bathroom and before eating.
Patients who work in 'high-risk' jobs for spreading Shigella should not return to work until 48 hours after their diarrhoea has stopped. This includes people who work as food handlers (such as kitchen staff and waiters, butchers) and those who care for patients, children or the elderly.