Purdue University food handler turns up positive for typhoid fever
Indiana health officials along with Purdue University administration are working together to investigate a rare case of typhoid fever in a food handler on campus, according to a Indiana State Department of Health press release Feb. 5.
Health officials are advising anyone who ate at the Boiler Bistro, John Purdue Room, or the coffee shop, Lavazza, at Marriott Hall on the Purdue campus from Jan. 23 to Jan. 25, 2013, may be at risk. In addition, they are advising anyone experiencing symptoms of the serious bacterial disease to seek medical attention.
Symptoms of typhoid may include high fever (103° to 104° F), weakness, stomach pains, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of appetite. In some cases, a rash of flat, rose-colored spots may appear. Symptoms usually begin within 8-14 days after exposure, but could potentially appear for up to 30 days.
Unfortunately, symptoms of typhoid may resemble or overlap symptoms of other diseases, according to State Health Commissioner William VanNess II, M.D. “Be sure to tell your physician that you may have been exposed to typhoid fever”, said VanNess.
Richard Ghiselli, head of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Purdue said, “We want all of our students and other patrons to know that we put their health first. We are informing our students and patrons and are working together with the Indiana State Department of Health.”
“We hold our hospitality program to the highest standards of food safety protocols. Hand washing is mandatory; the infected person wore gloves during food preparation and had minimal contact with the food.”
The patient, who contracted the disease while traveling internationally, will not return to work until cleared by the state health department, he said.
Typhoid fever is a 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.
On average, only three cases are reported annually in Indiana; about 400 were reported in the United States; 75 percent of the individuals infected had traveled internationally.
Learn more about typhoid fever in this educational video
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[…] Purdue University food handler turns up positive …The Global DispatchHealth officials are advising anyone who ate at the Boiler Bistro, John Purdue Room, or the coffee shop, Lavazza, at Marriott Hall on the Purdue campus from Jan. 23 to Jan. 25, 2013, may be at risk. In addition, they are advising anyone experiencing …Purdue on alert after confirmed case of Typhoid feverWISHPurdue officials say at least one other person has shown possible typhoid fever …Fox 591 case of typhoid fever at Purdue; those who ate at 3 sites most at riskJournal and CourierWLFI.com -UPI.com -Food Poisoning Bulletinall 26 news articles » […]
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[…] Purdue University food handler turns up positive …The Global DispatchHealth officials are advising anyone who ate at the Boiler Bistro, John Purdue Room, or the coffee shop, Lavazza, at Marriott Hall on the Purdue campus from Jan. 23 to Jan. 25, 2013, may be at risk. In addition, they are advising anyone experiencing …Purdue on alert after confirmed case of Typhoid feverWISHPurdue officials say at least one other person has shown possible typhoid fever …Fox 591 case of typhoid fever at Purdue; those who ate at 3 sites most at riskJournal and CourierWLFI.com -UPI.com -Food Poisoning Bulletinall 26 news articles » […]
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[…] Purdue University food handler turns up positive …The Global DispatchHealth officials are advising anyone who ate at the Boiler Bistro, John Purdue Room, or the coffee shop, Lavazza, at Marriott Hall on the Purdue campus from Jan. 23 to Jan. 25, 2013, may be at risk. In addition, they are advising anyone experiencing …Purdue on alert after confirmed case of Typhoid feverWISHPurdue officials say at least one other person has shown possible typhoid fever …Fox 591 case of typhoid fever at Purdue; those who ate at 3 sites most at riskJournal and CourierWLFI.com -UPI.com -Food Poisoning Bulletinall 26 news articles » […]