Suspected typhoid outbreak hits Laguna city
CALAMBA CITY, Philippines -- A total of 504 people stricken with typhoid have been admitted in different hospitals in this city over the last two weeks, the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) in Laguna reported.
However , the PNRC explained that the Department of Health has yet to declare an outbreak of the disease.
Rudelly Cabutin, PNRC administrator for Laguna, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) that nine hospitals have been admitting typhoid patients since February 16 and that the incidence of the disease has continued to increase as of Monday.
She said teams from Red Cross and city health office have been deployed to assess and verify the number of people affected.
They found out that there are 2,000 people in Barangay (village) Bucal and 700 in Barangay Pansol who are under observation, Cabutin added.
The typhoid patients mostly come from the 18 villages of Calamba City.
Cabutin said the PNRC and city health office conducted an information dissemination campaign in the villages on the symptoms, treatment and prevention of typhoid fever.
They are still investigating the cause of the suspected outbreak, she said.
Laguna second district board member Neil Nocon said in a phone interview that water contamination could be one reason.
With the increasing number of industries, he said there is no longer any assurance about the safety and cleanliness of water in the affected areas.
Nocon added he has plans of conducting a study and assessment of the water in Laguna's second district with help from scientists and researchers from the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
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source: http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/communicable/typhoid_fever/fact_sheet.htm
Typhoid Fever
Last Reviewed: November 2006
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What is typhoid fever?
Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection of the intestinal tract and occasionally the bloodstream. It is an uncommon disease with only 30-50 cases occurring in New York each year. Most of the cases are acquired during foreign travel to underdeveloped countries. The germ that causes typhoid is a unique human strain of Salmonella called Salmonella typhi. Outbreaks are rare.
Who gets typhoid fever?
Anyone can get typhoid fever but the greatest risk exists to travelers visiting countries where the disease is common. Occasionally, local cases can be traced to exposure to a person who is a chronic carrier.
How is the germ spread?
Typhoid germs are passed in the feces and, to some extent, the urine of infected people. The germs are spread by eating or drinking water or foods contaminated by feces from the infected individual.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms may be mild or severe and may include fever, headache, constipation or diarrhea, rose-colored spots on the trunk and an enlarged spleen and liver. Relapses are common. Fatalities are less than 1 percent with antibiotic treatment.
How soon do symptoms appear?
Symptoms generally appear one to three weeks after exposure.
For how long can an infected person carry the typhoid germ?
The carrier stage varies from a number of days to years. Only about 3 percent of cases go on to become lifelong carriers of the germ and this tends to occur more often in adults than in children.
How is typhoid treated?
Specific antibiotics such as chloramphenicol, ampicillin or ciprofloxacin are often used to treat cases of typhoid.
Should infected people be isolated?
Because the germ is passed in the feces of infected people, only people with active diarrhea who are unable to control their bowel habits (infants, certain handicapped individuals) should be isolated. Most infected people may return to work or school when they have recovered, provided that they carefully wash hands after toilet visits. Children in daycare, health care workers, and persons in other sensitive settings must obtain the approval of the local or state health department before returning to their routine activities. Food handlers may not return to work until three consecutive negative stool cultures are confirmed.
Is there a vaccine for typhoid?
A vaccine is available but is generally reserved for people traveling to underdeveloped countries where significant exposure may occur. Strict attention to food and water precautions while traveling to such countries is the most effective preventive method.
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