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More than two centuries after the setting of the meme-inducing video game, The Oregon Trail, the state of Oregon is being affected by a troubling number of cases of dysentery. Dysentery is particularly on the rise in the Portland metro area, according to health officials.
Dysentery is a highly contagious illness that causes inflammation of the bowels, resulting in diarrhea that contains blood or mucus, fever, nausea, vomiting, weight loss and/or stomach cramps. It is caused by a bacterial or parasitic infection and is most common in regions of the world with poor water sanitation.
According to KOIN News, the Multnomah County Health Department in Oregon has warned that while dysentery cases have been on the rise in the county since 2012, there has been a significant spike in the number of cases recorded between 2023 and 2024.
Multnomah County Health Department officials say 91% of the cases recorded between 2017 to 2024 were caused by person-to-person spread. They also stated that the “fecal-oral spread through intimate contact may account for between half and more than two-thirds of all recorded cases,” KOIN News reported.
However, in 2023 and 2024, health officials said 56% of the cases of dysentery were among the homeless and in more than half of the cases, the patient reported methamphetamine or opiate usage.
“Housing is related to nearly all aspects of health, including infectious diseases,” the Multnomah County Health Department said in a statement. “Lacking housing creates a context that can increase the risk of multiple kinds of infectious disease.
“When you don’t have housing, it is harder to prevent infectious disease and harder to access care to treat disease compared to if you are housed. The rise in Shigella cases over recent years is concerning and is a result of multiple pathways of transmission. Investments made in public health are critical for monitoring and slowing the spread of disease.”
Dysentery is often treated with medication and antibiotics. In more severe cases, treatment may include IV fluids. And in the worst cases, it may require a blood transfusion.
To avoid dysentery, The Cleveland Clinic advises not to share personal items with other people, including toothbrushes, drinking glasses and towels, not to use water unless it’s sanitized or sterile, thoroughly cook all food, wash all fruits and vegetables with clean running water and peel them before eating them, and, of course, stay away from people who have dysentery.
The clinic also adds, “If you’re traveling to an area where dysentery is common, it’s also a good idea to avoid ice cubes, fountain drinks, water or soft drinks that aren’t in a sealed container and unpasteurized dairy and juice products. Pasteurization is a process that kills bacteria.”