A Shigella case was confirmed by the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) on September 5, 2008.This case is a 13-year-old student who traveled to Thailand with his mother from August 23 to August 28, 2008.After returning to Taiwan, the case subsequently developed several symptoms, including fever, watery stool, diarrhea, and bloody stool.According to the recent diagnostic results of the case’s 21 close contacts on September 9, 2008, 2 positive cases of Shigellosis were confirmed, 3 cases were still being determined, and the rest were all negative cases.
As of September 9, 2008, the total number of confirmed Shigellosis cases was 69 based on the date of onset.Among these cases, 35 cases were imported.The top three major geographic origins of infection include Indonesia (12 cases), Cambodia (7 cases), Thailand and India (3 cases respectively).
The incubation period of Shigellosis is around 12 to 96 hours, but sometimes it may be up to one week.The typical symptoms of Shigellosis include diarrhea, fever, vomiting, cramp, and bloody stool, but some people may even experience mild or no symptoms.The mode of transmission is mainly through direct or indirect fecal-oral transmission from a symptomatic patient or a short-term asymptomatic carrier.The infection may occur after ingesting contaminated food or water.The infectious dose of Shigella could be as low as 10-100 organisms.Hence, Taiwan CDC would like to remind the public to take care of their health by taking the following precautious measures: do not ingest raw food and water or buy non-hygienic food, wash hand before any meals, and maintain personal hygiene.In addition, when traveling with a tour group, be sure to request the travel agency to provide hygienic meal throughout the tour.If illness occurs upon return to the home country, please contact the quarantine staff at the airport immediately, and seek medical attention as soon as possible and inform the doctor of the recent travel history.
For more information about infection control of Shigellosis, please visit the Taiwan CDC web site at http://www.cdc.gov.tw or dial the toll-free hotline, 1922, operated by Taiwan CDC.