The food poisoning event in Kasaragod, Kerala that claimed the life of a 16-year-old girl who ate chicken shawarma at a restaurant was caused by Shigella bacteria.
- The presence of the bacteria was confirmed in the blood and faeces of people undergoing treatment after they consumed chicken shawarma from an eatery at Cheruvathur in Kasaragod.
About Shigella bacteria ?
- Shigella is a bacterium that belongs to the enterobacter family — a group of bacteria that reside in the intestine, not all of which cause disease in humans.
- Shigella bacteria cause an infection called shigellosis.
- It mainly affects the intestine and results in diarrhoea, sometimes bloody, stomach pain, and fever.
- As per US Centre for Disease Control (CDC), most people with Shigella infection have diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever, and stomach cramps. Symptoms usually begin 1–2 days after infection and last 7 days.
- Most people recover without needing antibiotics. However, people with severe illness and those with underlying conditions that weaken the immune system should be given antibiotics.
- It is a food- and water-borne infection, and can happen when someone consumes contaminated food — like in the case from Kerala — unwashed fruit or vegetables.
- The disease is easily spread by direct or indirect contact with the excrement of the patient. You can get the infection if you swim or take a bath in contaminated water.
- Shigella outbreaks appear to be exacerbated during pregnancy and in children under five years of age, and in those with weakened immune systems.
- There are four types of Shigella bacteria that affect humans — Shigella sonnei, Shigella flexneri, Shigella boydii, and Shigella dysenteriae.
- The fourth type causes the most severe disease because of the toxin it produces.
(Source: IE and CDC)
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