NIH raises alarm about growing typhoid incidence

Islamabad: Raising the alarm about the growing incidence of typhoid fever in the country’s southern areas, the National Institute of Health (NIH) has pushed the relevant authorities for necessary measures to prevent the spread of the serious infection.

“An increased number of typhoid fever cases in the country and isolation of multidrug-resistant Salmonella typhi, especially the Ceftriaxone resistant strains, are circulating in Hyderabad and other areas of Sindh. The situation demands immediate necessary measures to curtail further transmission, timely and prompt treatment of typhoid cases,” the NIH said in an advisory.

The institute said the health authorities should take appropriate actions without delay to prevent the spread of typhoid fever, whose numerous outbreaks are reported in the summer and monsoon seasons every year.

It warned that the typhoid infection spread through contaminated food, milk, frozen fruits and water or through close contact with the infected persons with preschool children being at the greater risk of getting it.

The NIH added that the visitors to or workers in endemic areas and caregivers of the patient infected with Salmonella typhi were at the higher risk of the disease. It said patients with history compatible with the typhoid definition(s) should immediately report to the hospital, while antibiotics should be taken according to the doctor's instructions and that full course should be completed.

“The unnecessary use of antimicrobial agents should be discouraged to treat the patients with fever,” it said. About preventive steps against the infection, the institute asked people to wash hands with soap and water after using toilet, before and after attending patients, before handling, cooking and eating, drink boiled, bottled or treated water, use ice, made from clean drinking water preferably boiled water, wash fruits and vegetable properly before use, and consume freshly cooked, hot served and home-made food.

The people were told to avoid eating raw fruits or vegetables, market prepared or leftover food and not to drink untreated or contaminated water and milk. “Typhoid conjugate vaccine (Typbar- TCV) is a new conjugate vaccine with longer immunity. The WHO has prequalified the first conjugate vaccine in December 2017 to prevent typhoid fever. Vaccination should be considered for who are travelling to endemic areas, high risk group of people and those who are exposed to the disease,” it said. The NIH said though vaccines didn’t provide 100 per cent protection against typhoid fever, they reduced the severity of the illness.