The importation of another “dangerous souvenir” in the form of a tropical infection from distant countries is recorded in Europe, which is already causing tension in society. In the EU and in the UK, a large number of cases of infection with shigellosis, one of the “subtypes” of bacillary dysentery, have been reported. The disease is most likely brought by tourists, according to Food Safety News.
Cases have been reported in five EU countries – the Netherlands, France, Germany, Denmark and Portugal, as well as in the UK. Moreover, in the Netherlands, cases have been recorded since August and 22 cases have already been counted. The source of the infection has also been identified – most of the tourists brought the disease from hotels in Cape Verde.
At the same time, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said that there is no official information about the source of the infection yet. However, he noted that there is a risk that the number of infections could rise as more people travel during the upcoming winter holiday season.
“Authorities need to conduct an investigation to contain further spread and to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future,” said Ann Thomson, executive director of travel litigation at Hudgell Solicitor. At the same time, it is emphasized that shigellosis is transmitted by the “oral-fecal” route, like most intestinal diseases, while most travelers who get sick eat only in the hotels they stayed in – and this is a very dangerous “symptom”.
Our reference: shigellosis is a collective group of infectious diseases caused by bacteria of the genus Shigella (Shigella), of which there are four species. In this case, Shigella sonnei was “noted”. But all of them are capable of causing dysentery in humans. The only source of the causative agent of the disease is another person with an acute or erased form of the disease. The main source of infection is fecal-oral, i.e. bacteria from the intestines of a sick person enter the gastrointestinal tract of a healthy person. This can happen through dirty hands, when bacteria get into food, water, and also through insects – flies and cockroaches, which transfer the pathogen to food. The infection is most widespread in developing countries, which include some tourist destinations.
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