According to a press release from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there’s a bug on the loose and gay and bisexual men are a group at high risk. It’s called shigella and the infection can spread easily and rapidly during sexual activity.
Shigella passes from tiny and unseen fecal matter that all of us can come in contact with. It’s often passed from contaminated fingers to the mouth, from one person to another.Â
This can happen during sexual activity through:
- Direct sexual contact: Oral or anal sex, or anal play (rimming, fingering)
- Indirect sexual contact: Handling contaminated objects, such as sex toys, used condoms or barriers and douching materials.
Symptoms usually start 1–2 days after infection with the germs and include bloody diarrhea, fever and stomach pain. Talk with your doctor about shigella if you have any of these symptoms and feel very sick.
Multi-drug resistant Shigella infections have been on the rise in the U.S. since 2013. These types of infections are difficult to treat because germs develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. That means shigella germs are not killed and continue to grow.
Both public health officials and infectious disease experts have documented a significant rise in shigella infections, also known as shigellosis, among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in the US. This demographic is disproportionately affected, largely due to the emergence and rapid spread of highly drug-resistant strains.
It’s important to remember the following:
- Protect yourself and your partner
- Wash hands, genitals and anus before and after sex
- Do not have sex if you have diarrhea.
- Use condoms or dental dams during anal sex and oral sex.
If you’ve been diagnosed with a shigella infection, prevent spreading it to others by washing your hands often, especially before eating or preparing food and after using the bathroom. Don’t have sex until at least two weeks after your diarrhea ends. Don’t swim, and if you work in healthcare, food service or childcare, stay home until your health department says it’s safe to return.
To aid in your recovery from a shigella infection, drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. Do not take anti-diarrheal medicine, as it can make symptoms worse. If your doctor prescribes antibiotics, take them exactly as directed and finish taking all the pills even if you feel better.