Description of the situation
Following reports of an outbreak of diarrhoeal disease, a rapid-response team has visited the district of Dabola located 450km from Conakry. Out of 7 patients found and examined, 5 were suffering from bloody diarrhoea. Of 7 samples sent to the laboratory at Donka hospital, 1 was identified as Shigella dysenteriae type 1 resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol and erythromycin; it was however sensitive to nalidixic acid. All 7 patients have been treated with norfloxacin and have recovered. No new case has been reported.
On 2 July, 2 stool samples were sent to the Institut Pasteur in Dakar (Senegal) for additional testing and to obtain confirmation of the diagnosis. Other samples will be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, United States. Surveillance measures in the area have been strengthened, and the Ministry of Health has requested additional stocks of nalidixic acid.