Dysentery

Check if it's dysentery

The main symptom of dysentery is diarrhoea with blood and sometimes mucus (clear slime) in it.

You may also have:

tummy pain
a high temperature

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:

you or your child have bloody diarrhoea

Tell the GP or other health professional if you've recently been abroad.

You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.

Treatment for dysentery

You may need antibiotics to treat dysentery, depending on what's causing it.

You'll need to give a poo sample to find out the cause.

If your symptoms are severe, you may need treatment in hospital.

How to help ease symptoms of dysentery yourself

Dysentery usually gets better by itself within 7 days. The most important thing is to prevent dehydration.

After seeing a GP, there are things you can do to help your recovery.

You should:

drink plenty of fluids, particularly water, so that you regularly pee during the day and do not feel thirsty
use oral rehydration sachets you mix with water to make a drink
eat when you feel able to - you do not need to avoid any foods

Do not use anti-diarrhoea medicine if you have dysentery.

Check if you're at risk of dysentery

Dysentery spreads through infected poo.

You can get it from:

eating food or drink that's been handled by a person with dysentery
drinking unclean water, especially when travelling abroad
having oral or anal sex with a person with dysentery

How to avoid catching or spreading dysentery

You can help reduce your chance of catching or spreading dysentery by:

washing your hands with soap and water regularly, especially after using the toilet and before preparing food or eating
washing clothes, towels or bedding with poo on them on a hot wash
cleaning toilet seats, flush handles, taps and door handles every day
using a condom on the penis, or a dental dam on the anus during oral sex
staying off work, nursery or school until 48 hours after the diarrhoea stops

Avoiding dysentery when travelling

If you're travelling in places without a clean water supply, there are ways to reduce your risk of getting dysentery.

Do

only drink bottled water or tap water that's been boiled
brush your teeth using bottled or boiled water
wash your hands with soap and water after going to the toilet and before eating or preparing food

Don't

do not eat ice cream or have ice in your drinks
do not eat uncooked fruit and vegetables (including salads) that you have not washed with bottled or boiled water and prepared yourself

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

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