Highly-contagious infection spread by feces breaks out in Portland as homeless crisis sparks disease common in Third World

A highly contagious infection spread through small particles of feces has broken out in Portland. Officials warn that the homeless population is at greatest risk of contracting the disease.

Shigella is a bacteria that spreads through human feces. People transmit the infection after getting the microbes on their hands and then touching their mouths.

People can also spread the intestinal infection through sexual intercourse.

Multnomah County in Oregon has warned that homeless people and same-sex male partners are most at risk due to their lack of access to sanitation.

In the past month, 45 cases have been found in Portland, bringing the 2023 total to 218. The influx of infections was reported among unhoused people in Old Town Portland, downtown Portland.

Multnomah County in Oregon has warned that homeless people and same-sex male partners are at greatest risk of the infection due to their lack of access to hygiene facilities.

Teresa Everson, deputy county health officer, said, “Current disease patterns in Multnomah County suggest that fecal-oral spread through sexual contact may account for between half and two-thirds of all cases without international travel.

'These cases can occur because bathrooms, sinks and soap can be difficult to access if you are unhoused.

“And unhoused community members are generally at greater risk of infectious disease because they experience poorer health than the broader public.

'We would like people not to feel anxious in general, unless they belong to one of the specific populations.

'We have not seen any cases in the general public of people contracting an infection that we cannot explain.

“Most of the cases we see are related to sexual activity, and some are related to travel. So we have no cases that would indicate a risk to the general public.”

Union gospel mission has said that three people are showing symptoms consistent with shigella. They stayed in a shelter run by a local church.

Symptoms include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. They can last three to 10 days – and people should self-isolate if they think they have it.

Bobby Artale caught shigella and told KATU, “It lasted two weeks. It was uncontrollable diarrhea. Oh, it was terrible. It took two weeks.

Union gospel mission has said that three people are showing symptoms consistent with shigella. They stayed in a shelter run by a local church

'Shigella is spreading like wildfire. I had to be isolated and eat my food alone.”

Jessie Burke, owner of the Society Hotel in Old Town, said she is keeping her business clean and spotless during the outbreak.

She told KGW8, “We want to assure everyone that everything is okay. There is no reason to avoid this area. And these things affect everything in the microeconomy, so be thoughtful in communicating these messages.”

Sara McCall, the county's communicable disease program manager, said getting people into motels so they can isolate is an effective way to stop the spread.

She said: 'It gets them off the streets at the time when they are potentially most contagious, so they aren't visiting shelters or potentially spreading it to other people. It also gives them easy access to hygiene and toileting so they can take care of themselves.”

Despite the outbreak in the Old City, officials have said there is no clear geographic pattern to the cases at this time.

Every year around the world, it is estimated that 80 to 165 million people contract shigella, which leads to bacterial diarrhea. An average of 40,000 people die from shigella every year research.

Shigella is also one of the major pathogens causing intestinal infections in African and South Asian children.

Due to high infection rates, outbreaks are more common in child care centers, community wading pools, nursing homes, prisons and military barracks, according to Mayo Clinic.