STIs are always something that you should be looking to avoid, but the latest bout spreading sounds like one of the worst of all.
Anyone who had a hot girl summer in the UK might have regretted their decision earlier this year after gonorrhoea cases reached a historic high, while other sexually transmitted diseases can also be completely incurable.
Although we’re living in an increasingly sex positive world and generation, we don’t want to be positive when it comes to taking an STI test, especially with the often severe symptoms they can cause.
But the new ‘sexually transmitted diarrhoea superbug’ that’s spreading rapidly is certainly one that folks will want to steer clear of, considering other STIs can sometimes be symptomless or don’t ever really present themselves.
Dysentery, an intestinal infection that causes inflammation and frequent diarrhoea containing blood or mucus, is on the rise and seemingly being spread through sex.
While we sometimes describe sex as ‘doing the nasty’, this would certainly be the case as it essentially involves going a little too close to the rear entrance when that person might have shigella bacteria, and the cases are evolving into something that is ‘close to untreatable.’
Hopefully they’ve both washed their hands… (Getty Stock Image)
What is shigella?
It is a type of bacteria found in poo that causes a severe upset stomach, HIV Prevention England explains. If severe, the infection can be treated with a course of antibiotics.
It’s passed on through getting infected faeces in the mouth, either when having sex or through contaminated food.
While not all people may get them, the most common symptoms of shigella include:
- Diarrhoea, which may contain blood and/or mucus
- Stomach cramps
- Pain around and in your anus (back passage)
- A feeling like you need to poo even when you’ve just had one
- Fever
- Feeling sick or vomiting
Shigella is passed on through getting infected faeces in the mouth, resulting in diarrhoea and stomach pain (Getty Stock Image)
People being ‘unaware of the serious and increasing risk’ of shigella
A study in July showed that the spread of the disease through sex grew 15 percent faster year-over-year between 2015 and 2020 compared to spread through travel, food, or nursery outbreaks.
Cambridge geneticist Kate Baker, a lead author on the July study, said: “Many men who have sex with men are unaware of the serious and increasing risk posed by sexually transmitted Shigella.”
“This disease has gone from being relatively treatable with off-the-shelf drugs to being close to untreatable over the course of the last decade or so.”
As few as 10 organisms of shigella are enough to make you sick. But it’s important to know that the bacteria can spread easily if the person you’re with isn’t washing their hands as well as they should be, as the poo particles can easily end up close to your mouth.
To make matters worse, Baker told Science Alert that ‘this isn’t just one form of sexually transmitted diarrhoea’ and that there’s actually ‘multiple overlapping variants emerging that are all quickly becoming resistant to the drugs we use to treat them’.
She continued: “It’s highly likely that if you contracted your Shigella through sex, you require different treatment to someone who contracted it through travel.”
It’s incredibly important to be washing your hands after using the loo, especially before having sex (Getty Stock Image)
What happens if shigella is left untreated?
In most cases, shigella will get better without treatment in three to seven days – but some people can have a severe illness that needs treatment, so it’s best to see a GP if your symptoms are severe or don’t start to improve after a couple of days.
While shigella does not cause HIV, it can result in dysentery, severe dehydration, and in more extreme cases, seizures, per the Mayo Clinic.
If you think you have shigella, contact your GP or local sexual health clinic immediately, and it’s important to stay hydrated.
So for now, maybe add ‘looking for someone who has not had diarrhoea recently’ to your prompts on Hinge, and make sure to wash all your bits and sex toys thoroughly before you get down and dirty, in a safe, hopefully non STI-spreading way.
The California Department of Public Health also adds: “Don’t have sex with someone who has had diarrhoea in the last two weeks.” Sound advice.
