Shigellosis Outbreak at an Aboriginal Village, Hualien, 2012

Siao-Lien Huang¹、Mei-Chu Lee¹、Song-En Huang¹、Wan-Chin Chen²、Jen-Hsin Wang¹

2013 Vol.29 NO.10

Correspondence Author： Siao-Lien Huang

Abstract：

       On November 13, 2012, a hospital in Yuli, Hualien, reported a shigellosis case of a 17-year-old female who resides in a nearby aboriginal village. Because this village usually does not have shigellosis among adolescents, and they are usually not index cases of shigellosis outbreaks, it was suspected that there are additional cases in the village. The Sixth Branch of the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, along with members of the local health station, began onsite investigation the next day. The investigation discovered that diarrhea cases among villagers began on October 27. By December 21, 2012, rectal swabs were taken from 67 residents, including 4 from hospital reported patients. Among the 32 symptomatic cases, Shigella sonnei were found in 14. Among the 35 asymptomatic residents, S. sonnei were found in 3. During this outbreak, 17 villiagers in 5 families were confirmed to have shigellosis. Analysis of disease onset dates among patients indicated that the outbreak was caused by contact transmission. Through the implementation of symptom surveillance in the village, nearby school and work place, increased health education in the village, and environmental clean up, the outbreak was controlled and did not spread to nearby villages.