Health: Typhoid fever

Typhoid is a malady causing high fever, prostration and even death due to its complications. It is caused by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water.The germs implicated are Salmonella Typhi and paratyphi. Illness usually develops about 3 to 21 days after ingestion of the contaminated food. High grade remittent fever is the characteristic feature. The fever may reduce slightly but does not come to normal. Fever maybe associated with body ache, nausea, vomiting or dizziness. Abdominal pain may occur in about 40 percent cases because the infecting organisms affect the intestines causing inflammation. For this reason, it is also called, ‘enteric fever’. Some patients also experience epistaxis or nose bleeds and diarrhea. All ages and both sexes are prone to develop typhoid fever. Severity of the disease depends on load of germs ingested and resistance of the individual. Persons with low resistance like diabetics, AIDS patients, very old people, can develop fever with mild infection, while with the same dose of infection, a comparatively healthy person may not get the sickness. If not checked in time, complications can develop which can be fatal. A person suffering from typhoid fever can develop fatal encephalopathy as the infection reaches the brain. The inflamed intestines can perforate leading to peritonitis which is again a deadly complication requiring urgent surgical intervention. Septic arthritis like inflammation of a joint can occur due to affection of any joint. At times germs can spread in the body affecting other parts like liver or lungs. Even the heart is not spared. If the myocardium (middle layer of heart) or endocardium (inner covering of the heart), are involved in typhoid fever, one can develop rhythm disturbances of the heart. A person after suffering from typhoid fever can develop adhesions around the intestines which cause life long problem of constipation and abdominal pain. Diagnosis is based on clinical suspicion and confirmed by suitable serological tests. Treatment is by suitable antibiotics. But prevention is very important. After taking medication also, some persons tend to pass the infectious organism in their stools because of the residual germs remaining. This becomes a source of infection for other people. Some people are affected mildly by the infection and hence do not develop fever. But these people known as careers tend to pass germs continuously in their stools, thus passing on the infection to others. Thus one can see how important it is to prevent the illness through better forms of ‘food hygiene’. Utmost hygiene is needed in preparation, storage and handling of food for prevention of typhoid fever. As far as possible, only fresh food should be consumed. Cooked food put in refrigerators for long also tend to grow this germ. Vaccines are available to prevent typhoid fever, but they provide immunity effectively only for 6 months. One time sickness due to typhoid does not confer long lasting immunity in the body as happens in the case of viral infections. Therefore after finishing treatment for typhoid fever one should remain very careful to prevent reinfection or relapse.Fatty foods should be avoided for few months because the inflamed intestines need time to heal very well. Fatty foods can cause abdominal discomfort and pain.By observing good hygiene regarding food and water ingested, there remains almost nil possibility of acquiring typhoid fever. Even if one gets the infection, complete cure is possible through suitable antibiotics. Contact: rachna212002@yahoo.co.uk