Shigella Virus Hits America, Foreign Visitors And Illegal Immigrants To Blame?

Shigella, a painful drug-resistant food poisoning, has now hit the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the pathogen is arriving in America via visitors to the country. Late last year U.S. Border Control agents also warned that a host of diseases were present in the tens of thousands of illegal immigrant children and adults who walked across the border from Mexico.

The Shigella virus occurs when the bacteria infects the intestines and causes bloody or “mucus-laced” diarrha, rectal pain, and vomiting. Shigella outbreaks have occurred in multiple regions in America during the past year, according to the CDC. Approximately 250 people have been stricken with the virus, with about 20 percent of the patients requiring hospitalization. Click here to read more about the Shigella outbreak in the United States.