The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) is investigating an outbreak among the city’s homeless population of a bacteria that causes Shigellosis, a highly infectious disease that is spread through feces that causes flu-like symptoms.
DDPHE said Thursday that health workers started noticing the outbreak of Shigellosis cases starting in late May but failed to track the cases because workers were not able to interview the patients before they left the hospital or there was no way to contact the patient after they left.
DDPHE said that it was reviewing the records of 12 identified cases of Shigellosis from May 21 through June 14, and that “through July 7, only 4 are confirmed to be matches and the remaining 8 are being reviewed closely as a part of the investigation, but may not all be connected with this outbreak.”
“Of the 12 cases under investigation as being possibly associated with this outbreak, 10 have a history of substance abuse, 10 have a history of experiencing homelessness, 9 are males, and ages range from 23-65 with a mean age of 43.6 years,” the department said. “Information about the cases’ exposure to the bacteria is not conclusively known at this time and is part of the ongoing investigation.”
The department described the disease as lasting approximately a week, longer if the patient is immunocompromised or has underlying health conditions, with symptoms usually including diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.
In a statement, DDPHE said:
DDPHE and DPH are actively investigating an outbreak of Shigella sonnei, a bacteria that causes Shigellosis, an infectious disease that causes those infected to develop diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps usually starting a day or two after exposure to the bacteria. The illness usually resolves within five to seven days, but can be prolonged if individuals are immunocompromised or have underlying health conditions. It is highly contagious and spread in infected person’s feces. So the spread of the bacteria can be stopped or lessened by frequent, careful handwashing and good hygienic practices, especially after using the restroom and before eating.
The outbreak was identified by noticing a trend of Shigellosis cases that were lost to follow-up by public health workers (workers were unable to interview the patients before they left the hospital or emergency department, if they were seen for care, and/or the patient does not have a working phone number/permanent address) during the time period of May 21 to June 14 who also reported experiencing homelessness.
DDPHE and DPHE are reviewing records of 12 identified cases of Shigellosis during this time period. And through July 7, only 4 are confirmed to be matches and the remaining 8 are being reviewed closely as a part of the investigation, but may not all be connected with this outbreak. Of the 12 cases under investigation as being possibly associated with this outbreak, 10 have a history of substance abuse, 10 have a history of experiencing homelessness, 9 are males, and ages range from 23-65 with a mean age of 43.6 years. Information about the cases’ exposure to the bacteria is not conclusively known at this time and is part of the ongoing investigation.