Praia, March 18, 2026 (Lusa) - The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (the ECDC) issued recommendations today for travellers due to a "moderate risk" of gastrointestinal infections in Santa Maria, Sal Island, Cabo Verde, as long as the source of recent cases remains uncontrolled.
"The probability of travellers contracting Shigella or other gastrointestinal infections when visiting the Santa Maria region in Cabo Verde is moderate, given that cases continue to be reported and the source of the infection has not yet been identified," reads the epidemiological update published today on the ECDC portal, at www.ecdc.europa.eu.
"Further cases are expected to arise until the source is identified, and effective control measures are implemented," adding that "transmission to European countries cannot be excluded, particularly in the case of Shigella," it added.
The centre indicated that since September 2022, "more than 1,000 confirmed and probable cases of shigellosis and other gastrointestinal infections, including salmonellosis, have been detected in travellers returning from Cabo Verde to several European countries, the UK and the US, with new cases still being reported."
"Most individuals with shigellosis and other gastrointestinal infections, including salmonellosis, stayed in the same hotel chain in the Santa Maria region on Sal Island," the ECDC noted, without specifying which one and stating that "the source of the infection has not yet been identified."
Current information "strongly suggests" transmission through "food or water, although some cases of direct person-to-person transmission (faecal-oral route) are also plausible," it added.
In today's bulletin, the European centre recommended that travellers practice "rigorous hand hygiene, especially before cooking, eating, and after using the toilet" and consume "food that is well-cooked and served hot."
Ready-to-eat foods, including unwashed fruits and vegetables, salads, and products containing ice, should be avoided, and water should be "bottled or boiled."
"If symptoms such as diarrhoea, fever, or stomach cramps occur during or after travel, seek medical attention immediately," it added.
The ECDC also recommended that healthcare professionals and travel doctors "be alert for gastrointestinal infections in travellers returning from Cabo Verde" and urged public health authorities to increase "awareness among travel clinics, laboratories, and doctors regarding the ongoing outbreak."
Following the initial alerts, the Minister of Tourism, José Nogueira, announced in February "meetings with hotel operators and the health structure of Sal Island to strengthen coordination, share updated technical information and ensure strict compliance with surveillance and prevention protocols."
Later that month, on the sidelines of the Lisbon tourism fair (BTL), the official told Lusa that the Cabo Verdean health system is conducting a "rigorous investigation" across the entire production chain, from suppliers to hotel units, "to determine whether there is [an outbreak]."
Foreign tourism is the engine of the archipelago's economy, concentrated mainly on Sal Island.
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