An infectious disease outbreak usually found in developing countries that primarily affected Edmonton’s inner city population is over, five months after it was declared by Alberta Health Services.
Shigella is an acute infectious disease that’s commonly associated with diarrhea, as well as fever, nausea and stomach cramps. A strain of the bacteria causes dysentery.
AHS said the first person became ill on Aug. 17, 2022, with a confirmed diagnosis on Aug. 29. The outbreak was officially declared on Sept. 8.
Over the past five months, AHS said 206 people had confirmed shigella diagnoses and 139 of those people had to be hospitalized. No deaths were reported connected to this outbreak.
The disease spreads when someone comes into contact with fecal matter from an infected person and also by eating food contaminated with the bacteria.
Dr. Louis Francescutti, a University of Alberta public health professor and emergency physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and Northeast Community Health Centre, said shigella is commonly transmitted when people don’t have access to good personal hygiene.
Francescutti said infected people would typically have persistent watery and possibly bloody diarrhea that would keep them at home and close to a bathroom — something not possible when a person is homeless.
The disease can result in serious symptoms such as dehydration causing potassium, sodium and electrolyte imbalances that can affect heart and kidney function.
AHS said it responded to the outbreak by connecting with shelters, inner-city agencies, and local family physicians about the growing cluster of cases.
In early October, AHS said it also reached out to the city for support and in the middle of that month, a task force was formed to coordinate resources and a response between inner-city community partners.
“In the last several months, following the sharing of health guidance and mobilization of hygiene resources, there has been a steep decline in the number of cases reported. In the last two weeks, no new cases were reported,” AHS said in its update Thursday.
Although the outbreak is over, AHS expects sporadic cases of shigella will still pop up in the weeks and months to come.
“Heightened surveillance for new cases will continue and AHS remains a resource to those in the community who have questions or concerns,” the health-care provider said.
AHS expressed gratitude to the City of Edmonton, Alberta Health ministry, Alberta Community and Social Services, Edmonton area shelters and other organizations for their work to get the outbreak under control.
“Without the ongoing collaboration and sharing of resources and ideas from the experts on the task force, our response would not have been as fulsome and successful as it was.”
AHS is reminding people proper hand hygiene helps to prevent the spread of many illnesses, including shigella.
Last week, Edmonton city council’s community and public services committee received a report from AHS executives on the effects of homelessness on the health-care system.
It said homeless people in Edmonton are at greater risk of a slew of physical and mental health concerns and are having a disproportionately large impact on the system.
The prevailing consensus among health experts is, getting people into stable housing would ease pressure on the health-care system.
— with files from Stephanie Swensrude, 630 CHED