J Agric Med Community Health.  2009 Dec;34(3):368-374.

An Epidemiological Investigation on an Outbreak of Shigellosis during Travelling Cambodia and Vietnam among Korean Rural People, 2005

• Lim HS
• Lee HS

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
A group consisted of 32 Korean rural people had been travelled to Cambodia and Vietnam. During their travel for 7 days, first diarrheal case had occurred on 3rd day of travel and overall 8 people had diarrhea during travel. So we investigated the case for determination of the cause and route of infection.
METHODS
We interviewed all 32 people by visiting or telephone and took 23 stool samples from them, which are examined by Gyeungsangbuk-do Government Public Institute of Health & Environment in Korea. We interviewed travel agency for travel route and schedule.
RESULTS
The attack rate was 25.0% (8 cases) among 32 people. Of them, 3 cases were microbiologically confirmed to have the infection of Shigella flexneri (Serotype 3a). The result of this epidemiological investigation showed that the infection of shigellosis was happened in foreign countries. We assumed the water from Angkor-Watt was contaminated by S. flexneri. We could not able to test environmental specimens because of the infection is thought to be occurred in foreign countries.
CONCLUSIONS
Most common infectious diseases from foreign countries are transmitted by water or food. Travellers to foreign countries must take caution for communicable diseases and must do report and get appropriate treatment when symptoms developed after travel.

Keyword

Shigella flexneri; Outbreaks; Travel; Water intake; Diarrhea

MeSH Terms

Cambodia
Communicable Diseases
Diarrhea
Disease Outbreaks
Drinking
Dysentery, Bacillary
Korea
Shigella flexneri
Telephone
Vietnam
Water
Water