Outbreak of Acute Gastroenteritis at a Music Festival in Ariège on the Weekend of July 20–21 – Update as of August 1, 2013

An outbreak of gastroenteritis linked to a disease called shigellosis occurred during a music festival held in Ariège on July 8, 9, and 10.Investigations are currently being conducted by the ARS-Ariège Regional Delegation and the Midi-Pyrénées Regional Health Agency to determine the extent of the outbreak, its source, and the mode(s) of transmission.

Additional information since last week’s epidemiological update indicates that approximately 3,500 festivalgoers, 300 volunteers, and 150 artists participated in the festival. Among the volunteers, there are currently 78 cases, including 12 confirmed cases of Shigella sonnei infection. The main symptoms reported among volunteers are diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and nausea. Four patients were hospitalized without signs of severe illness; none have died. Several people reported that their symptoms began before they arrived at the festival site, while they were attending another music festival in Spain (Festival Nowhere), where an outbreak of shigellosis also appears to have occurred. A link between the two outbreaks is currently being investigated in collaboration with the National Epidemiology Center of the Carlos III Health Institute. Cases among artists and festivalgoers began to be reported on July 26. Active case finding is continuing using a questionnaire developed by the InVS and posted on the festival’s website and Facebook page.

European partners have been notified via the ECDC’s Epis platform.