QX first reported on the significance of Shigella for our community back in 2018. The bad news is that there’s been a recent rise of extremely drug-resistant Shigella sonnie infections amongst men who have sex with men in the U.K..
Shigella is a gut infection that causes diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever. As it hangs out in the faeces we can catch it through anal sex and contact with faeces. One of the main routes is through rimming, that’s eating ass! It’s usually passed from the rimmee to the rimmer.
It’s very infectious, and UKHSA say that recent cases have shown an increased resistance to antibiotic treatment. That means it’s possible to end up hospitalised and requiring intravenous antibiotic treatment. Effective antibiotic treatments are limited for this extremely resistant strain, so there is no room for complacency here.
Dr Gauri Godbole, Consultant Medical Microbiologist at UKHSA, says:
Practising good hygiene after sex is really important to keep you and your partners safe. Avoid oral sex immediately after anal sex, and change condoms between anal or oral sex and wash your hands with soap after sexual contact.
To find out more about more about Shigella, symptoms etc., and how to avoid it by going to Sexwise, and you can read the government statement here.
