The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is investigating reports of an increase in shigella infections in travellers returning from Cape Verde.
Since the beginning of October, there has been a sharp rise in people returning to the UK from the archipelago with symptoms consistent with the illness.
Of the 137 confirmed UK cases, 109 reported recent travel to the popular winter sun destination.
Symptoms tend to include bloody diarrhoea (also known as dysentery), cramps and fever.
The Cape Verde shigella outbreak topped the agenda in the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)’s weekly communicable disease threats report.
It states that “available case interviews from 2025 indicate that the same hotel/resort chain as previously described is involved.”
It added: “This is a recurrent outbreak of gastrointestinal diseases, where the underlying cause of transmission warrants further investigation so mitigation measures can be put in place to prevent further cases.”
The recent flurry of new cases follows a similar outbreak in 2022 which “evolved rapidly”, according to the ECDC, which stated “most cases have stayed in five-star, all-inclusive hotels in the Santa Maria region of the island Sal.”
At present, it is not known which hotels are affected.
“Medical facilities in Cape Verde are basic and limited, and some medicines are in short supply or unavailable,” states the FCDO.
“The largest hospitals are in Praia on Santiago and Mindelo on São Vicente, with smaller medical facilities and clinics located throughout the country. Medical facilities are particularly limited on the island of Boa Vista.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), shigella is the leading cause of bacterial diarrhoea in the world.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that the majority of people who contract the infection tend to get better in five to seven days without treatment.
In certain cases, shigella can be treated with a course of antibiotics.
The infection can cause severe and sometimes life-threatening complications in very young children or those with weakened immunity.
While officials aren’t sure how the outbreak has spread, the most likely cause is through contaminated food or water.
The infection can also spread from person to person through poor hygiene or sexual intercourse.
The Independent has contacted the FCDO for comment.
Read more: All the travel vaccines you should consider before heading overseas
