Typhoid Fever
Quick Facts
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Salmonella Typhi, the bacteria that causes typhoid fever (2)
General description: Typhoid fever is a possibly fatal disease caused by a certain bacteria. While the disease can be prevented & effectively treated, it still regularly occurs in developing countries where it affects about 21.5 million people each year. (6)
Specific causes: The bacteria Salmonella Typhi lives only in humans and causes typhoid fever. Infected people carry the bacteria in their bloodstream and intestinal tract. Recovered typhoid fever patients still carry the bacteria, and both they and the infected persons shed the bacteria in their feces. It is possible to contract typhoid fever if you eat food or drink beverages that have been handled by someone contaminated with the Salmonella Typhi bacteria. The disease can also be spread through contaminated sewage water that gets into water used for drinking or washing food. (6)
Symptoms include a sustained high fever, stomach pains, headache, loss of appetite. Other possible symptoms include general weakness, constipation or diarrhea and a rash of flat, rose-colored spots. The only way to determine if it is typhoid fever is by taking samples of stool or blood tested for the presence of the bacteria. (6)
Treatments: There is a typhoid fever vaccination available if you are travelling to a high-risk area. (6)
If a person is not vaccinated, there are several drugs proved to effectively treat typhoid fever. However, the patient will still carry the bacteria within them. (4)
Specific causes: The bacteria Salmonella Typhi lives only in humans and causes typhoid fever. Infected people carry the bacteria in their bloodstream and intestinal tract. Recovered typhoid fever patients still carry the bacteria, and both they and the infected persons shed the bacteria in their feces. It is possible to contract typhoid fever if you eat food or drink beverages that have been handled by someone contaminated with the Salmonella Typhi bacteria. The disease can also be spread through contaminated sewage water that gets into water used for drinking or washing food. (6)
Symptoms include a sustained high fever, stomach pains, headache, loss of appetite. Other possible symptoms include general weakness, constipation or diarrhea and a rash of flat, rose-colored spots. The only way to determine if it is typhoid fever is by taking samples of stool or blood tested for the presence of the bacteria. (6)
Treatments: There is a typhoid fever vaccination available if you are travelling to a high-risk area. (6)
If a person is not vaccinated, there are several drugs proved to effectively treat typhoid fever. However, the patient will still carry the bacteria within them. (4)
Typhoid Fever around the World
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Typhoid's global presence (1)
Who is affected: Anyone can be affected by the disease.
Where is the disease hurting people the most: Typhoid fever is most common in developing parts of the world, especially in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Generally, places with lower hygiene standards and riskier water supply facilities (5)
What is being done to fight disease/infection, both locally & globally: As with dysentery, typhoid fever is caused in part by poor hygiene. Improving public health policies in developing countries will help the disease go down, but implementing those policies might be hard. Therefore, frequent vaccinations are recommended to people in developing countries. The vaccinations need to be repeated every several years and are not totally effective but should fight infection of the disease when combined with proper hygiene such as washing your hands, thoroughly cooking your food, and only drinking treated water. (3)
Where is the disease hurting people the most: Typhoid fever is most common in developing parts of the world, especially in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Generally, places with lower hygiene standards and riskier water supply facilities (5)
What is being done to fight disease/infection, both locally & globally: As with dysentery, typhoid fever is caused in part by poor hygiene. Improving public health policies in developing countries will help the disease go down, but implementing those policies might be hard. Therefore, frequent vaccinations are recommended to people in developing countries. The vaccinations need to be repeated every several years and are not totally effective but should fight infection of the disease when combined with proper hygiene such as washing your hands, thoroughly cooking your food, and only drinking treated water. (3)
Concept Questions
- Is it possible for a person to have the Salmonella Typhi bacteria within them but not have the disease?
- What are the problems with the typhoid vaccines?
- Is it worth giving people typhoid vaccines, given the restrictions?
Sources
- Kiley, Janel. "Typhoid's Reach." Science News. Science News, 15 Aug. 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. <http://www.sciencenews.org/view/access/id/45826/title/Typhoids_reach>
- Kunkel, Dennis. "Salmonella Enterica - Rod Prokaryote (bacterium)." Science Stock Photography. Dennis Kunkel Microscopy, Inc, 2008. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. <http://www.denniskunkel.com/index.php?module=media>.
- Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Typhoid Fever: Prevention." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 22 Aug. 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/typhoid-fever/DS00538/DSECTION%3Dprevention>.
- "Typhoid Fever." Communicable Diseases. New York Department of Health, Nov. 2011. Web. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.
< http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/typhoid_fever/fact_sheet.htm> - "Typhoid Fever." International Travel and Health. World Health Organization, 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. <http://www.who.int/ith/diseases/typhoidfever/en/>.
- "Typhoid Fever." National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 05 Oct. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/typhoid_fever/>.