PHE and HPE launch shigella campaign

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Public Health England (PHE) and HIV Prevention England (HPE) are launching a campaign which will focus on raising awareness of shigella amongst gay and bisexual men (GBM). Activities for the campaign will start on Monday 28 June 2021.

Shigella transmitted by sexual contact in GBM has been on the increase in England since the start of 2018. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 saw a reduction in diagnoses, but as England emerges from lockdown we are seeing increases in the North West and Manchester, South East and London. We’re seeking to promote the campaign in areas where we can access the GBM population and similar past scenarios have indicated are at risk of an increase, for example Brighton.

Due to the symptoms of shigella (severe diarrhoea, fever etc.), it is often diagnosed in primary care or emergency departments, rather than sexual health services (SHS).

Shigella transmitted by sexual contact in GBM is now more dominant than the travel-associated variant. It is important that health professionals look out for the signs of shigella in GBM who present symptoms, rather than relying on a recent history of travel abroad.

What is shigella?

Shigella is a bacterial pathogen which causes infection and can lead to severe diarrhoea and hospitalisation. In England infections are increasing in Brighton, London and Manchester and has been linked to transmission through sexual contact among GBM.

Shigella is an overlooked pathogen as a sexually transmitted infection and health professionals’ knowledge about it and the current situation is very low.

The campaign

This digitally based campaign aims to raise awareness of the signs, symptoms and causes of sexually transmitted shigella, and provide information to GBM who think they may have it.

The campaign is targeted to GBM in the most affected areas of England, but resources are available for all local authorities and stakeholders who are concerned about shigella in their local population.

Key messages

Have you experienced a bad case of diarrhoea after sex? It could be shigella. It is often mistaken for food poisoning and is caught from bacteria in poo getting into your mouth during sex.

Find out about shigella and what are the causes, signs and symptoms. Learn how to protect yourself and what to do if you think you have caught it after sex.

Campaign promotion and resources

From Wednesday 23 June 2021:

Download the campaign social media pack [ZIP]

Download campaign posts and links [DOC]

Available assets

  • ‘Maybe It’s… Shigella’ poster (size A4)
  • ‘Maybe It’s Shigella’ leaflet (size A6, six pages)

Please email [email protected] for more information or support.

Social Media Pack Summer 2021: I’m ready for a hot summer

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It Starts with Me Summer 2021 - Dignified

We’ve created a social media pack to make it easy for you to get involved in the summer phase of the It Starts With Me campaign.

Download social media pack

Key messages

The campaign will remind people of the importance of looking after all aspects of their sexual wellbeing with a positive, fresh and summer-themed creative, it will:

  • Remind people how to protect themselves from HIV, STIs and unplanned pregnancy.
  • Prepare people to be sexually active again and encourage them to think about the type of sex they want to enjoy.

What’s in the pack?

  • Images: a selection of correctly sized images for use on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other social network.
  • Suggested posts: examples of posts for Facebook and Instagram plus tweets for Twitter.
  • Links: the suggested posts for Facebook and Twitter also contain links to online tools and information from It Starts With Me and Sexwise.

NEW: for this campaign we have also created landscape digital posters for hospital and clinic TV screens and digital displays in bars and other social venues.

If you have trouble accessing the pack online please contact [email protected] with your organisations requirements (i.e. social media platform etc.).

Download social media pack

It Starts With Me summer campaign 2021: Ready for a hot summer?

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The next phase of the It Starts With Me campaign will focus on raising awareness of good sexual health and wellbeing as England continues to emerge out of lockdown. The campaign will launch on Monday 17 May 2021 and will continue until the end of June, with minimal social media promotion starting Thursday 6 May 2021.

People are keen to return to the things they find pleasure in: socialising, going out and, of course, enjoying sex. The digitally based campaign will remind people how to have sex safely, how they can protect themselves and their sexual partners from HIV, STIs and unplanned pregnancy, and to encourage them to think about the sex they want to enjoy this summer.

Read and download the Summer 2021 Campaign Briefing [PDF].

Check out our social media pack for summer 2021