The main symptom of dysentery is diarrhoea with blood and sometimes mucus (clear slime) in it.

You may also have:

• tummy pain
• a high temperature

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:

You may need antibiotics to treat dysentery, depending on what's causing it.

You'll need to give a poo sample to find out the cause.

If your symptoms are severe, you may need treatment in hospital.

Dysentery usually gets better by itself within 7 days. The most important thing is to prevent dehydration.

After seeing a GP, there are things you can do to help your recovery.

You should:

• drink plenty of fluids, particularly water, so that you regularly pee during the day and do not feel thirsty
• use oral rehydration sachets you mix with water to make a drink
• eat when you feel able to – you do not need to avoid any foods

Do not use anti-diarrhoea medicine if you have dysentery.

Dysentery spreads through infected poo.

You can get it from:

• eating food or drink that's been handled by a person with dysentery
• drinking unclean water, especially when travelling abroad
• having oral or anal sex with a person with dysentery

You can help reduce your chance of catching or spreading dysentery by:

• washing your hands with soap and water regularly, especially after using the toilet and before preparing food or eating
• washing clothes, towels or bedding with poo on them on a hot wash
• cleaning toilet seats, flush handles, taps and door handles every day
• using a condom on the penis, or a dental dam on the anus during oral sex
• staying off work, nursery or school until 48 hours after the diarrhoea stops

Avoiding dysentery when travelling

If you’re travelling in places without a clean water supply, there are ways to reduce your risk of getting dysentery.