An outbreak of bacillary dysentery caused by quinolone-resistant Shigella dysenteriae type 1 in a northeastern state of India.

Abstract

Outbreak of dysentery caused by multidrug-resistant Shigella dysenteriae type 1 has been a recurrent challenge in many parts of the developing world. Since 1984 outbreaks of dysentery caused by multidrugresistant S. dysenteriae type 1 have been reported from India. Recently an outbreak of dysentery occurred in the northeastern region of India. The outbreak began during the first week of April 2003 and continued until the first week of June 2003. The affected village was situated in a very remote and inaccessible place on the top of a hill; the hill is located about 210 km away from Aizwal the capital city of Mizoram an eastern hill state of India. The first case was reported to have occurred in a refugee family who had migrated from a neighbouring state from where it further spread among the local population. In total 169 cases suffered from bloody diarrhoea since 1 April 2003 as per case definition. Seventeen percent (169/995) of the people were attacked but nobody died. (excerpt)