CDC issues a warning about drug resistant bacteria

• The CDC issues a warning about a drug resistant bacteria called Shigella.
• What is it?
• Infections are increasing in the US.

The CDC issues a warning about Shigella bacteria. A new threat has sprung up in the United States with the spread of Shigella bacteria. The drug resistant infection is easily transmissible.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning about this bacteria. A Shigella infection causes symptoms including fever, nausea, dizziness and diarrhea. Here’s what you need to know.

The CDC issues a warning for Shigella bacteria

There are very limited antimicrobial treatments at this time for Shigella which is easily transmissible and drug resistant, the CDC said in a major advisory Friday.

According to CNN, this infection causes some gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. The infection has mostly affected children in the past but now it is being seen more in adults.

Who is at risk?

Although the infection was more common in children, the CDC warned that cases of adults with Shigella are increasing. CNN has reported that it is being seen more in men who have sex with other men. The warning indicates that the bacteria also spreads among the homeless, people who travel internationally and people with HIV.

“Given these potentially serious public health concerns, CDC asks healthcare professionals to be vigilant about suspecting and reporting cases of XDR Shigella infection to their local or state health department and educating patients and communities at increased risk about prevention and transmission,» the statement read.

These are the reported numbers

Most people with this infection manage to recover without the need for any treatment and it can be controlled with oral hydration. There is no treatment for those who have drug resistant strains, according to CNN.

The percentage of infections by drug-resistant strains of the bacteria increased from zero in 2015 to 5% in 2022, according to the CDC. There are more than 3 million people with this bacteria and 35,000 people have died from it each year.

What do experts think?

The CDC gives the following advice to physicians regarding the infections that have been increasing. “Health care professionals are to be vigilant in suspected and reporting cases of XDR Shigella infection to their local or state health department and in educating patients and communities at higher risk about prevention and transmission.”

According to infobae, the number of drug resistant diseases is increasing. “Today medicine is faced with diseases for which effective antimicrobials are no longer available on certain occasions. Among others, we found some pneumonia, diarrhea, urinary infections, bloodstream and sexually transmitted infections.»