Outbreak of Central American born Shigella sonnei in two youth camps in Belgium in the summer of 2019

In 2019, an outbreak of Shigella sonnei occurred during two youth camps in Belgium. The clustering of isolates from both camps was confirmed by next-generation sequencing, as well as a secondary infection of a technician. The outbreak strain clustered with internationally isolated strains from patients with recent travel history to Central America. This report exemplifies enhanced surveillance and international collaboration between public health institutes by enabling to link local outbreaks to region-specific sublineages circulating abroad.

Automated summary

In 2019, a Shigella sonnei outbreak occurred in two youth camps in Belgium, with confirmed clustering of isolates from both camps and a subsequent infection of a technician. The outbreak strain clustered with internationally isolated strains from patients with recent travel history to Central America, demonstrating enhanced surveillance and international collaboration between public health institutes.