Typhoid in India: Several parts of the country are witnessing a seasonal spike of typhoid. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 9 million people get sick from typhoid and 110 000 people die from it every year.
Typhoid is a life-threatening infection caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi. It is usually spread through contaminated food or water. Once Salmonella Typhi bacteria are ingested, they multiply and spread into the bloodstream.
According to the global health agency, urbanisation and climate change have the potential to increase the global burden of typhoid. Moreover, increasing resistance to antibiotic treatment is making it easier for typhoid to spread in communities that lack access to safe drinking water or adequate sanitation, as per WHO.
What are the symptoms of Typhoid?
Persons with typhoid fever carry the bacteria in their bloodstream and intestinal tract. Symptoms include:
prolonged high fever,
fatigue,
headache,
nausea,
abdominal pain,
and constipation or diarrhoea.
“Some patients may have a rash. Severe cases may lead to serious complications or even death. Typhoid fever can be confirmed through blood testing,” WHO maintains.
How to treat Typhoid?
According to WHO, Typhoid can be treated with antibiotics. “Even when the symptoms go away, people may still be carrying typhoid bacteria, meaning they can spread it to others, through shedding of bacteria in their faeces,” WHO added.
According to WHO, it is important for people being treated for typhoid fever to do the following:
- Take prescribed antibiotics for as long as the doctor has prescribed.
- Wash their hands with soap and water after using the bathroom and avoid preparing or serving food for other people. This will lower the chance of passing the infection on to someone else.
- Have their doctor test to ensure that no Salmonella Typhi bacteria remain in their body.
How to prevent Typhoid?
As Typhoid is prevalent in regions with poor sanitation and a lack of safe drinking water, access to safe water and adequate sanitation, hygiene among food handlers and typhoid vaccination are all effective in preventing typhoid fever, as per WHO.