No Wagon Needed: Dysentery’s Back in Oregon’s Streets

Dysentery’s making a messy comeback in Oregon, turning Oregon Trail nostalgia into a real-life health hazard.

Dysentery’s no longer just a video game hazard—Oregon’s facing a real-life outbreak! The New York Post reports that Multnomah County, home to Portland and the state’s most populous region, is grappling with a surge of Shigella, the bacteria driving this messy infection.

Cases have been climbing since 2012, hitting 158 in 2024, with a notable jump to 35 in December alone—up from just 3 in July, according to data provided to the Post. That’s a steep curve for a bug that thrives on poor hygiene.

The Post highlights a chilling detail: “Strains of the infection circulating in Oregon are resistant to various forms of antibiotics.” This leaves sufferers battling fever, cramps, and severe diarrhea with fewer treatment options.

Multnomah County Health Department’s Sarah Dean told the Post, “Access to clean water, soap, and bathrooms is key to stopping the spread of shigellosis,” pointing to sanitation gaps—especially among the homeless—as a major driver. With Portland’s dense streets in the mix, it’s a perfect storm for this bacterial comeback.

Thankfully, the deadlier Shigella strain isn’t circulating here yet. Still, this outbreak’s turning a quirky Oregon Trail memory into a modern-day health scare. Oregonians might not be fording rivers, but they’re definitely dodging a different kind of trouble.

From Game Over to Real Life: The ‘Oregon Trail’ Dysentery Meme Explained

If you’ve ever played the game The Oregon Trail, dysentery’s a familiar foe. Launched in 1971, this educational classic put players in the shoes of 19th-century pioneers, facing perils like snakebites and starvation. But dysentery stole the show, often ending runs with the infamous “You have died of dysentery” screen.

It became a meme goldmine—think pixelated gravestones and ironic T-shirts—especially for gamers who lost countless wagons to it. With Oregon now facing the real thing, that retro joke’s taken on a whole new edge.

[Source: NY Post]