Lane County health officials are sounding the alarm over a notable increase in Shigella infections, an uncommon but serious bacterial disease.
As of Thursday, the county in Oregon has reported 18 infections so far this year, surpassing the total of 12 cases reported for all of the previous year.
Shigella is known to spread through fecal matter, contaminated food, water, and surfaces, presenting symptoms such as mid-to-high temperature fevers, cramping, vomiting, and bloody or pus-filled diarrhea.
In some cases, infections can even be fatal.
Dr. Patrick Luedtke, Lane County’s Chief Medical Officer, stated that while most people will recover from Shigella after a few days of discomfort, certain individuals may be at higher risk if their immune systems are compromised due to conditions like diabetes or malnutrition.
The majority of the county’s recent Shigella cases are linked to ongoing outbreaks in nearby Portland, which local health officials have monitored for over a year.
“We had thought it was a matter of time,” said Dr. Luedtke.
He added, “We alerted the clinical community a little over a month ago that this may very well happen, and we got the clinical community up to speed on how to test for it, how patients present and how to prevent it.
We also alerted the jail, et cetera.”
Shigella is particularly concerning because it spreads easily; an individual can become ill after ingesting as few as 10 bacteria.
In comparison, an infection from salmonella may require up to 50,000 bacteria for illness to occur.
Dr. Luedtke noted that about 10 of the individuals diagnosed with Shigella in Lane County this year are homeless or frequently moving in and out of houselessness.
He emphasized the ease of killing the bacteria through proper handwashing with soap and water or even hand sanitizer.
However, many homeless individuals lack access to running water and sanitation supplies, putting them at heightened risk.
While cases in Portland have included antibiotic-resistant strains of Shigella, no such strains have been identified in the current cases in Lane County.
For anyone suspecting a Shigella infection, Dr. Luedtke recommends avoiding sharing food, public swimming, or sexual activity, noting that infected individuals can continue to shed the bacteria for weeks after their diarrhea has subsided.
Community service providers are also responding to the situation.
Lisa Levsen, a board member with Neighbors Feeding Neighbors in Eugene, reported that outreach workers are seeing potential Shigella cases among the local homeless population.
Levsen shared an experience where volunteers assisted a homeless individual who was too ill to move and had soiled themselves.
The situation was complicated by the lack of identification, making it impossible to secure a hotel room for the individual to clean up.
Since March, NFN volunteers have reported more instances of clients experiencing diarrhea issues.
In response, they are distributing wipes and hand sanitizer to vulnerable populations.
Levsen is now calling on local officials in Eugene to provide additional handwashing stations and public restrooms to safeguard the health of the homeless community.
“We have people who need toilets.
And when they get sick, other people get sick,” Levsen stated.
“It’s a health hazard for everyone, and that’s why we need to work together to solve health hazard problems within the community.”
While leaders at the Eugene Mission and White Bird Clinic have not seen recent likely Shigella cases, Mike Tardie, the Mission’s Director of Community and Volunteer Engagement, indicated that the homeless shelter has implemented extra precautions, including changing food service procedures to reduce potential contamination risks.
According to Dr. Luedtke, it is still more probable that cases of gastrointestinal illness in Lane County are attributed to more common pathogens such as norovirus rather than Shigella.
The increase in Shigella cases in Lane County was first reported by KVAL.
This report has been prepared by Nathan Wilk, a reporter with KLCC, as part of the Northwest News Network’s collaboration among public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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