June 4, 2015, 14:00 EST (2:00 PM EST)

CDCHAN-00379

Summary: CDC continues to receive new reports of infections with Shigella strains that are not susceptible to ciprofloxacin and/or azithromycin, the antimicrobial agents most commonly used to treat shigellosis. Most cases have been reported among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (collectively referred to as MSM) in Illinois, Minnesota, and Montana and among international travelers, but cases are also occurring among other populations. Shigellosis is very contagious and can spread quickly through communities and across different segments of the population.

CDC recommends meticulous handwashing and other hygiene practices to prevent shigellosis and encourages patients with symptoms of shigellosis such as diarrhea and fever to visit a healthcare provider. Clinicians should obtain stool cultures from patients suspected of having shigellosis, counsel patients about shigellosis prevention, and, when treatment is required, select drugs based on antimicrobial susceptibility test results.

This Health Alert Network (HAN) Advisory provides the following:

• Information about the current status of the outbreaks;

• Recommendations for clinical management, counseling, and follow-up of exposed patients and their contacts;

• Recommendations on general prevention methods for the public, childcare centers, MSM, and international travelers;

• Information about testing and interpretation of azithromycin susceptibility among shigellae; and

• Information about revisions to CDC's Shigella website on shigellosis prevention among MSM.

Health Alert Network (HAN)