Typhoid can become deadly

A medical practitioner, Nathaniel Adewole, has said that typhoid fever, which is becoming endemic in the country, can be prevented through proper hygiene.

Mr. Adebowale, who works with the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, said in Abuja that typhoid fever is caused by contaminated water and food, among others.

He said that typhoid is a common bacteria disease, which can be serious and sometimes a deadly bacterial infection of the digestive system.

The disease is caused by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the Bacillus Salmonella typhi, the bacteria that causes typhoid fever.

Typhoid fever affects roughly 17 million people annually, causing nearly 600,000 deaths worldwide.

“The causative agent, Salmonella typhi is an obligate parasite that has no known natural reservoir outside of humans,” Mr. Adebowale said.

According to him, typhoid can be associated with fever, headache, vomiting, severe abdominal pain, diarrhoea, among others.

The doctor said that typhoid could lead to serious sickness, typhoid perforation and even to death if not properly treated or managed.

He said there are other sicknesses, which presented the same symptom as typhoid, such as acute malaria, and early pregnancy.

“Someone can be vomiting, but that does not mean that the person has typhoid, most of the time what we diagnosed as typhoid is not actually typhoid.

“For the fact that you do what is called typhoid screening and it shows that it is high, does not necessarily mean that you have typhoid, there is what we call `false positive’.

He said anyone may test positive, but he or she may not have typhoid, hence one should not conclude that he or she has typhoid except with clinical interpretation.

“Most of the time, it is better to interpret the clinical signs of typhoid. But when it’s actually diagnosed, there is the need for proper treatment with antibiotics,” he said.

He, therefore, advised that people should stop rushing to do typhoid test except with a doctor’s recommendation.

“It is better to see a doctor to know what actually the problem is,” he added.

He also advised people to imbibe a hygienic way of preparing food, and keeping drinking water in hygienic state.

NAN