Setting It Level · Viral Post Fact Check ·

Sexually transmitted diarrhea?

Screenshot of the viral post we checked, claiming: Sexually transmitted diarrhea?
The post as it circulated. Faces of private individuals are blurred.

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Accurate

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What We Found

Shigella bacteria spread through fecal-oral contact, which includes sex, and also through contaminated food and water.

CDC: extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains went from 0% of U.S. samples (2011–2015) to 8.5% in 2023. 86% of XDR patients were men.

UK: more than 70% of sexually transmitted strains resisted at least one key antibiotic (Lancet Infectious Diseases, July 2026).

CDC's advice: no sex while sick and for 2 weeks after, wash up before and after sex, and use condoms or dental dams.

Sources

  1. KMBC (opens in new tab)
  2. CDC MMWR (opens in new tab)
  3. CDC Health Advisory (opens in new tab)
  4. University of Cambridge (opens in new tab)
  5. Lancet Infectious Diseases (opens in new tab)

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