Woman infected with dysentery during trip to Bali

2011/12/03 16:21:51 Taipei, Dec. 3 (CNA) A Taiwanese tourist who traveled to the Indonesian resort island of Bali in November has been diagnosed with shigellosis, also known as bacillary dysentery and a foodborne disease, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported Saturday. The 65-year-old woman was diagnosed Nov.25 after she began showing symptoms such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea Nov. 20, said Chou Jih-haw, the CDC's deputy director-general. The patient, who was in Bali from Nov. 17-21, was probably infected through partaking of cold drinks and smoked duck, Chou added. The disease is spread through direct and indirect consumption of polluted food or water. Two other people in the same tour group also complained of fever and diarrhea, but they were not diagnosed with the disease, he said. Taiwan has recorded 185 cases of shigellosis so far this year, 121 of which were imported, with 68 of the cases contracted in Indonesia, according to CDC statistics. (By Lung Rui-yun and Kendra Lin) ENDITEM/J