Mumbai reports dramatic increase in typhoid fever
The number of typhoid fever cases this September in Mumbai showed a significant increase from the number of cases reported in the city in Sept. 2012, in fact the number is two-and-a-half times the previous year, reports the Hindustan Times today.
Specifically, in Sept. 2013, 167 patients were treated for typhoid as compared to 65 in September last year.
“Although typhoid is common throughout the year, such an increase is unusual,” said Dr Om Shrivastav, director of infectious disease department at Jaslok Hospital, Peddar Road.
“Though typhoid is common round the year, there is a spike in cases when the monsoon recedes. Also, consumption of drinks with ice increases as the heat sets in, which could be a reason for more people getting infected,” said Dr Shahid Barmare, a physician with Kohinoor Hospital in Kurla.
Typhoid fever is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi. Salmonella typhi lives only in humans. Persons with typhoid fever carry the bacteria in their bloodstream and intestinal tract. In addition, a small number of persons, called carriers, recover from typhoid fever but continue to carry the bacteria. Both ill persons and carriers shed S.typhi in their feces.
You can get typhoid fever if you eat food or drink beverages that have been handled by a person who is shedding S. typhi or if sewage contaminated with S. typhi bacteria gets into the water you use for drinking or washing food. Therefore, typhoid fever is more common in areas of the world where handwashing is less frequent and water is likely to be contaminated with sewage.
Typhoid fever can be successfully treated with appropriate antibiotics, and persons given antibiotics usually begin to feel better within 2 to 3 days.
Learn more about typhoid fever in this educational video
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