Highly contagious disease outbreak devastates homeless camps as disease spreads to developing states

People living in encampments in San Jose, California, are the latest group to be affected by a highly contagious bug called shigella.

The bacteria, which is transmitted when a person comes into contact with feces through sex, diapers, food or water, causes bloody diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain that can last for weeks.

Santa Clara County health officials have confirmed three cases and said another 19 were suspected in a two-week period beginning June 3, including two people who were hospitalized.

“We’re really aggressively addressing this situation because of the number of cases and the setting and making sure this doesn’t spread any further,” Monika Roy, assistant health officer with the Santa Clara County Health Department, told ABC7.

The outbreaks are concentrated around homeless encampments in San Jose’s Columbus and Roosevelt parks, but officials say the risk of the bacteria spreading from these areas to other people is low.

A survey found that there are approximately 6,340 homeless people living in San Jose. Although the actual numbers are probably much higher, the… San Jose Spotlight reports this.

But the problem is plaguing similar areas in Oregon And Pennsylvania, making California the third state to experience an outbreak in the past year.

Shigella outbreaks usually only occur in areas with little access to sinks, toilets and other hygiene stations, but if you wash your hands and bathe regularly you are much less likely to become infected.

However, these encampments usually do not have places where people can wash their hands, bathe or cook. Often they don’t even have clean water to drink.

As of December 2023, 45 cases of the bacteria were confirmed in Portland, Oregon. Bobby Artale, a homeless man who contracted the bug, said: ‘It lasted two weeks. It was uncontrollable diarrhea. Oh, it was terrible.’

Before that, there were 68 confirmed cases in Philadelphia between October and November 2023, which was more than double the historical number for the city. Axios reported.

If someone contracts shigella, they usually get better on their own, although antibiotics are sometimes prescribed in severe cases.

News reports showed encampments at Columbus and Roosevelt parks in California, where the escapes are concentrated

News reports showed encampments at Columbus and Roosevelt parks in California, where the escapes are concentrated

Although California records some cases of shigella each year, Dr. Roy said the spread is usually limited when an affected person is quarantined from others.

But it appears that this latest outbreak is affecting people who cannot afford the privacy that quarantine requires, making it easier for the disease to spread.

‘What is worrying about this outbreak is not the absolute number. We see Shigella cases regularly,” said Dr. Roy. “What concerns us more are the numbers that are related.”

Because of this increase, Dr. Roy and other officials announced that their strategy is to first find out how many people have contracted the bacteria so they can contain it.

Additionally, because the parks where both encampments are located are near bodies of water — Coyote Creek and the Guadalupe River — there is some concern about the bacteria leaching into the water supply.

The threat of this is low, and Dr. Roy said public health officials’ efforts to provide clean drinking water and sanitation should eliminate the chance that infected individuals will choose to defecate in the water supply.

The outbreaks in both Pennsylvania and Oregon were eventually brought under control.