[Dysentery in Poland in 2005]

The number of notified dysentery cases in the three last years (2003, 2004, 2005) is the lowest of all years since 1918 when notification started. Only 80 cases were notified in the year 2005 (incidence rate 0.21 /100,000 population), while 74 cases in 2004 (incidence rate 0.19 /100,000 population. No one-death case was notified. The last three death cases were notified in 1999. All together 6 outbreaks were registered, one suspected. Out of three dysentery outbreaks, due to S. flexneri 3A--two were notified and one suspected, when the outbreaks of food poisoning were examined by regional laboratory of Sanitary-Epidemiological Station. One institutional outbreak was involving 13 residents in Psychiatric Hospital another one involving 10 person in one two beggars family. All were detected by the active investigation performed by Sanitary Service staff. All together the 7 outbreaks were involving 45 persons while 35 sporadic cases were dispersed. No one dysentery case was notified in young children in towns. S. flexneri infections were dominating in ill persons, convalescents, in contacts and carriers but S. sonnei in healthy food handlers examined. S. dysentery and S. boydii infections were not found. Among 39 dysentery cases: S. flexneri dominated in 74% of cases, S.sonnei was the next 26% of cases, Such structure of etiology is indicating that only in few cases among children and young persons were diagnosed, In the period of low frequency of Shigella infections, the external control of the quality of bacteriological media, laboratory and prae-laboratory procedures should be regularly controlled.