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Health Alert
Status: Active
Alert number: 240314
Date issued: 13 Mar 2024
Issued by: Professor Ben Cowie, Chief Health Officer
Issued to: Health professionals and the Victorian community
Key messages
- There has been a Shigella gastroenteritis outbreak among people at the Esoteric festival. Additional patrons and staff who are returning to locations within Victoria and inter-state may develop symptoms in the coming days.
- People who attended Esoteric Festival who have symptoms should get tested for Shigella with a stool sample.
- Symptoms may include diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting.
- Shigella gastroenteritis is generally a self-limiting infection but is highly contagious and can be potentially serious.
- People with shigellosis who work as food handlers, childcare workers, health care workers, or workers in a residential facility should not return to work until advised.
- People with Shigella gastroenteritis symptoms should maintain good hygiene, practice handwashing, avoid preparing food for others and practice safer sex practices.
- Clinicians should include stool culture when testing patients for shigellosis.
- Antibiotic treatment should only be used for severe infection.
- Preliminary results suggest an antimicrobial resistant strain of Shigella, therefore standard empirical therapies for Shigella may not provide appropriate coverage in cases linked to this outbreak.
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