Dysentery is on the rise in the Portland metro area, according to recent data released by the Multnomah County Health Department.
Also known as shigellosis, dysentery is a highly contagious bacterial disease that can cause fever, cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. It is spread very easily from person to person when someone gets fecal matter from an infected person into their mouth, health officials say.
According to the health department, two types of Shigella typically circulate in Oregon. Although both strains can cause severe diarrhea, officials are not seeing the strain which can cause more severe or fatal illness. However, they note the strains circulating in Multnomah County are resistant to several antibiotics.
Shigella cases have been rising in Multnomah County since 2012, officials said. But health department data on dysentery cases collected by the county from 2017-2024 shows a marked increase in the number of cases between 2023 and 2024. Further, January 2025 showed 40 cases reported.
According to the county, 91% of the cases in that 7-year timeframe were caused by person-to-person spread, adding that the fecal-oral spread through intimate contact may account for between half and more than two-thirds of all recorded cases.
But of the most recent cluster of cases, the county said 56% were among people experiencing homelessness and 55% of the cases reported methamphetamine or opiate usage. They have also also identified a spread among housed and unhoused social groups who use drugs.
In the majority of these cases, the health department says shigella is spreading between people rather than from one single source. As a result, they are providing short-term housing to those who test positive, noting that greater access to hygiene and sanitation can contribute to reducing the spread of shigella and other diseases.
“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.”
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Also known as shigellosis, dysentery is a highly contagious bacterial disease that can cause fever, cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. It is spread very easily from person to person when someone gets fecal matter from an infected person into their mouth, health officials say.
According to the health department, two types of Shigella typically circulate in Oregon. Although both strains can cause severe diarrhea, officials are not seeing the strain which can cause more severe or fatal illness. However, they note the strains circulating in Multnomah County are resistant to several antibiotics.
Shigella cases have been rising in Multnomah County since 2012, officials said. But health department data on dysentery cases collected by the county from 2017-2024 shows a marked increase in the number of cases between 2023 and 2024. Further, January 2025 showed 40 cases reported.
According to the county, 91% of the cases in that 7-year timeframe were caused by person-to-person spread, adding that the fecal-oral spread through intimate contact may account for between half and more than two-thirds of all recorded cases.
But of the most recent cluster of cases, the county said 56% were among people experiencing homelessness and 55% of the cases reported methamphetamine or opiate usage. They have also also identified a spread among housed and unhoused social groups who use drugs.
In the majority of these cases, the health department says shigella is spreading between people rather than from one single source. As a result, they are providing short-term housing to those who test positive, noting that greater access to hygiene and sanitation can contribute to reducing the spread of shigella and other diseases.
“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.”
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