I am sure a lot of us have heard about
typhoid fever, but how many people really know what it means to have typhoid? The
rate at which we treat typhoid in Nigeria is becoming alarming. It may shock
you, but i had a strange and funny discussion with somebody, that got me
thinking. The lady told me that after her examinations, she would stay in
school for two weeks before travelling home to treat typhoid. I was shocked. Why?
Never before have i heard that you could treat a serious infection like typhoid
at your own convenience! I then realized that a lot of us do not really know
what typhoid fever is all about. I will try to explain using simple terms so we
can all understand.
Typhoid fever is an infection that is caused
by a bacterium called Salmonella typhi. How
can we get infected? Infection occurs when we drink water or eat food
contaminated by the faeces of an infected person. This means that simple health
practices like drinking clean water and preventing people from unnecessarily
coming in contact with your food and water will go a long way in ensuring you
don’t get the disease.
How do you know that illness is typhoid fever?
The disease usually starts manifesting six to thirty
days after eating/drinking contaminated food/water. It usually starts with high
fever. This fever starts gradually and remains over several days. Weakness, abdominal
pain, constipation, and headaches also commonly occur. Diarrhea is uncommon and
vomiting is not usually severe. Some people develop a skin rash with rose
colored spots.
Sanitation and
hygiene are important to prevent typhoid. Typhoid does not affect animals other
than humans. Typhoid can only spread in environments where human feces or urine
are able to come into contact with food or drinking water. Careful food
preparation and washing of hands are crucial to prevent typhoid.
The most
notorious carrier of typhoid fever was Mary Mallon, also known as Typhoid Mary.
She was a cook in New York who is closely associated with 53 cases and three
deaths from typhoid fever. A carrier is somebody who does not get sick from the
disease but can infect others. Cooks who are carriers could infect a lot of
people, unknown to them.
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