ABSTRACT
This is a report of the first documented Shigella dysenteriae type 1 outbreak in Aden city, Republic of Yemen. The aim of the study was to examine the clinical manifestations and the outcome of this infection among children admitted to Al-Sadaqa Teaching Hospital, Aden. 368 patients presented with bloody diarrhoea in the period between January and June 1993, compared to 9 patients with similar complaints in the same period of the preceeding year. The outbreak was attributed to the above mentioned microorganism based on the results of stool cultures, the clinical picture and the outcome. Almost half of the patients had moderate to severe dehydration, and 7.3% of the patients developed acute renal failure. Six of these children fulfilled the criteria for haemolytic Uremic Syndrome. Severe malnutrition, rectal prolapse and protracted colitis were found to be persisting complications in about 5% of the patients. The case fatality rate was 12% which may mean that Shigella shiga is fatal in children in places where lack of facilities and malnutrition continue to be common community problems