The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning Americans about an increase of drug-resistant strains of a bacteria called Shigella.
Jimmy Kimmel opened his monologue on Tuesday night giving his audience a heads-up about the “diarrhea superbug.” The ABC late-night host said when he first heard of it, he thought it was a holiday and didn’t know what it was.
“It’s called ‘Shigella,’ which I thought was a Jewish holiday,” Kimmel said. “But it’s not. ‘Shigella’ is one of the most common sources of diarrhea in the world. Just after Chipotle.”
Kimmel joked and said CDC released some guidelines on how people will know if they got the stomach virus. He said there are a few tell-tell signs that will determine if you have Shigella.
“Number one, If you’re climbing up a ladder, and you feel something splatter, it’s diarrhea,” Kimmel said while adding “Cha cha cha.”
Kimmel said, “Number two, if you’re running down the hall, and you feel something fall, it’s diarrhea. Cha cha cha.”
“Not sure why they added the cha cha chas,” Kimmel joked.
Well let us help you, Jimmy.
“Cha cha cha” is actually a celebratory refrain added to the “Happy Birthday” song by Latin Americans — presumably referencing the popular style of dance — and adopted more widely, including by Mexican Americans singing the song at Mexican restaurants.
“Number three,” Kimmel continued. “If you’re sliding into first, and you feel something burst, it’s diarrhea, cha cha cha.”
“That one feels overly specific to baseball players. So, we’ll just post the rest on our website because we’ve got to keep this show moving,” Kimmel said.
Though Kimmel is making light of the situation with questionable ethnic-food jokes infused into grade-school humor, Shigella is a real thing. Last Friday, the CDC issued a health advisory about an increase in an antibiotic-resistant strain of the Shigella bacteria. The bacteria can be transmitted in various ways including changing the diaper of a sick infant.
Additionally, the CDC said people can get Shigella by getting the bacteria on your hands and then touching your mouth, through sexual contact or by contaminated water and food.
To watch Kimmel’s full monologue, click the video above.
