Impact of Vaccines; Health, Economic and Social Perspectives

Lane County Warns Of Rise In Shigella Bacterial Infections

Lane County health officials are warning of an increase in an uncommon infectious bacteria.

The county has reported 18 Shigella infections so far this year, as of Thursday. That's already higher than the case count for all of last year, which was 12.

Shigella spreads through fecal matter, as well as through contaminated food, water, and surfaces. Infections can cause mid-to-high temperature fevers, cramping, vomiting, and bloody or pus-filled diarrhea. They can even be fatal in some cases.

Lane County's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Patrick Luedtke, said most people will recover from Shigella after a few days of discomfort. However, he said some could face higher risks if their immune systems are compromised by conditions such as diabetes or malnutrition.

Luedtke said a majority of the county's new cases are linked to ongoing outbreaks in Portland, which local health officials have been watching for well over a year.

"We had thought it was a matter of time," said Luedtke. "We alerted the clinical community a little over a month ago that this may very well happen, and we got the clinical community up to speed on how to test for it, how patients present and how to prevent it. We also alerted the jail, et cetera."

Luedtke said Shigella spreads easily, as someone can get sick off of as few as ten bacteria. For comparison, he said, a salmonella infection can require up to 50,000 bacteria.

Out of the people who've been found with Shigella infection in Lane County this year, Luedtke said around ten are homeless or in-and-out of houselessness.

"It's easy to kill this bacteria with hand washing, with soap and water. It's easy to kill it with even hand sanitizer," said Luedtke. "But people who are houseless often don't have access to running water and soap. They don't have access to hand sanitizers. So they're at a higher risk."

Luedtke said while some Portland cases were caused by an antibiotic resistant strain, it hasn't yet been detected in this batch in Lane County.

If someone suspects they have Shigella, Luedtke said they should avoid sharing food, public swimming, or sexual activity. He said someone can continue to shed the bacteria for weeks after their diarrhea subsides.

Service providers respond

Lisa Levsen, a board member with Neighbors Feeding Neighbors in Eugene, said outreach workers are seeing potential cases of Shigella infections in the local homeless community.

NFN volunteers helped a homeless person who was too sick to move, and had soiled themselves. She said it was impossible to get the person into a hotel room to clean off, because they didn't have identification.

Since March, Levsen said volunteers have heard more reports from its clientele of people sick with diarrhea. She said NFN is trying to hand out wipes and hand sanitizer.

Now, Levsen is calling on Eugene to provide more handwashing stations and public bathrooms, in order to protect the local homeless community.

"We have people who need toilets. And when they get sick, other people get sick," said Levsen. "It's a health hazard for everyone, and that's why we need to work together to solve health hazard problems within the community."

Meanwhile, leaders at the Eugene Mission and White Bird Clinic told KLCC they hadn't recently seen any likely cases of Shigella firsthand.

However, Mike Tardie, the Mission's Director of Community and Volunteer Engagement, said the homeless shelter has started taking additional precautions, including changing how it serves food to prevent potential contamination.

According to Luedtke, it's still more likely that an individual case of gastrointestinal illness in Lane County is due to a more common pathogen, such as norovirus, than due to Shigella.

The increase in cases of Shigella in Lane County was first reported by KVAL.

Lane County Sees Surge In Shigella Bacteria Infections Linked To Portland Outbreaks

Medical illustration of drug-resistant Shigella bacteria presented in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publication in 2019. In 2025, Oregon's Lane County is seeing a rise in Shigella infections, mostly among the homeless, with officials urging better hygiene as cases tied to Portland continue to spread, though no resistant strains yet.

Illustration by Stephanie Rossow via Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Lane County health officials are warning of an increase in an uncommon infectious bacteria.

The county in Oregon has reported 18 Shigella infections so far this year, as of Thursday. That's already higher than the case count for all of last year, which was 12.

Shigella spreads through fecal matter, as well as through contaminated food, water and surfaces. Infections can cause mid-to-high temperature fevers, cramping, vomiting, and bloody or pus-filled diarrhea. They can even be fatal in some cases.

Lane County's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Patrick Luedtke, said most people will recover from Shigella after a few days of discomfort. However, he said some could face higher risks if their immune systems are compromised by conditions such as diabetes or malnutrition.

Luedtke said a majority of the county's new cases are linked to ongoing outbreaks in Portland, which local health officials have been watching for well over a year.

"We had thought it was a matter of time," said Luedtke. "We alerted the clinical community a little over a month ago that this may very well happen, and we got the clinical community up to speed on how to test for it, how patients present and how to prevent it. We also alerted the jail, et cetera."

Luedtke said Shigella spreads easily, as someone can get sick off of as few as 10 bacteria. For comparison, he said, a salmonella infection can require up to 50,000 bacteria.

Out of the people who've been found with Shigella infection in Lane County this year, Luedtke said around 10 are homeless or in-and-out of houselessness.

"It's easy to kill this bacteria with hand washing, with soap and water. It's easy to kill it with even hand sanitizer," said Luedtke. "But people who are houseless often don't have access to running water and soap. They don't have access to hand sanitizers. So they're at a higher risk."

Luedtke said while some Portland cases were caused by an antibiotic resistant strain, it hasn't yet been detected in this batch in Lane County.

If someone suspects they have Shigella, Luedtke said they should avoid sharing food, public swimming or sexual activity. He said someone can continue to shed the virus for weeks after their diarrhea subsides.

Service providers respond

Lisa Levsen, a board member with Neighbors Feeding Neighbors in Eugene, said outreach workers are seeing potential cases of Shigella infections in the local homeless community.

NFN volunteers helped a homeless person who was too sick to move, and had soiled themselves. She said it was impossible to get the person into a hotel room to clean off, because they didn't have identification.

Since March, Levsen said volunteers have heard more reports from its clientele of people sick with diarrhea. She said NFN is trying to hand out wipes and hand sanitizer.

Now, Levsen is calling on Eugene to provide more handwashing stations and public bathrooms, in order to protect the local homeless community.

"We have people who need toilets. And when they get sick, other people get sick," said Levsen. "It's a health hazard for everyone, and that's why we need to work together to solve health hazard problems within the community."

Meanwhile, leaders at the Eugene Mission and White Bird Clinic told KLCC they hadn't recently seen any likely cases of Shigella firsthand.

However, Mike Tardie, the Mission's Director of Community and Volunteer Engagement, said the homeless shelter has started taking additional precautions, including changing how it serves food to prevent potential contamination.

According to Luedtke, it's still more likely that an individual case of gastrointestinal illness in Lane County is due to a more common pathogen, such as norovirus, than due to Shigella.

The increase in cases of Shigella in Lane County was first reported by KVAL.

Nathan Wilk is a reporter with KLCC. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

It is part of OPB's broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.

Valneva, LimmaTech Ally On Quest For First Shigella Vaccine

Valneva has bolstered its vaccines pipeline with a shot designed to protect against shigellosis – a major global health threat – licensed from LimmaTech Biologics.

The French pharma company – best known for its COVID-19 jab and recent approval for the world's first chikungunya vaccine Ixchiq – is paying €10 million upfront for a stake in LimmaTech's S4V vaccine candidate, and promising undisclosed regulatory, development, and sales-based milestone payments.

Shigellosis, a form of bacterial dysentery caused by Shigella bacteria, is the second leading cause of fatal diarrhoeal disease worldwide, but at the moment there is no approved shot for the disease, which has been described as a "graveyard" for vaccine candidates, despite decades of research.

Moreover, while the standard treatment for shigellosis is oral rehydration and antibiotic therapy, resistance to antibiotics is on the rise, with cases of multidrug resistance (MDR) reported, which makes treatment extremely difficult.

The World Health Organization (WHO) – which has made the development of a Shigella vaccine one of its top global health priorities – has estimated that up to 165 million cases of shigellosis occur each year, leading to around 600,000 deaths, with children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) the most vulnerable.

LimmaTech's tetravalent S4V shot was developed in partnership with UK vaccines giant GSK, with the Swiss biotech taking full control of the programme in July 2023.

Earlier this year, it reported positive phase 1/2 data for the S4V vaccine candidate that showed it could generate an immune response against the four most common pathogenic Shigella serotypes – namely S flexneri 2a, 3a, 6, and S sonnei – as well as a "favourable" safety and tolerability profile.

Under the terms of the partnership with Valneva, LimmaTech will be responsible for running two phase 2 trials, including one in children in LMICs, which are due to start later in 2024. Thereafter, if all goes to plan, Valneva will take control of the programme, with a view to starting a phase 3 programme in 2027.

The WHO has said a Shigella vaccine should be able to demonstrate prevention of moderate to severe diarrhoea with 60% or greater efficacy, providing protection for at least two years and preferably five.

As of 2022, the agency listed nine candidates in clinical trials – including the S4V shot – with the most advanced a bivalent candidate from Beijing Zhifei Lvzhu Biopharmaceutical in phase 3 testing.

Valneva estimates that the global market for a Shigella vaccine could be $500 million a year, targeted at people in LMICs, as well as travellers and military personnel staying in areas where shigellosis is prevalent.

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