Outbreaks of typhoid fever (now called enteric fever) have been reported in South Africa across several provinces according to the National Institute for Communicable Disease (NICD) with the Western Cape currently having the highest number of reported cases according to multiple sources.
UPDATE: The City says that typhoid tap water is a taboo in Cape Town
Enteric fever last saw an outbreak in South Africa in 2005 in Delmas. Since then, there have been fewer than 150 reported cases a year until now.
According to Dr Juno Thomas who spoke to Daily Maverick, the increase in enteric fever could be attributed to an increase in urbanization and the impact of climate change.
Three separate outbreaks have been reported in the Western Cape alone as per Outbreak News Today. 64 cases have been noted overall in our province, but doctors estimate that there are far more due to the logistics attributed to case-tracking. Diagnosis are confirmed by blood culture tests that “isn’t performed at all levels of healthcare,” as Dr Juno expresses.
In the Western Cape, investigations ruled out water as a source of the Western Cape outbreak. Teams are now attempting to source the links between those infected.
The bacteria that cause the disease (which is endemic to South Africa) are salmonella typhi and salmonella paratyphi.
Children are the highest at-risk demographic.
How can you get typhoid fever?
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention:
These diseases are spread through sewage contamination of food or water and through person-to-person contact. People who are currently ill and people who have recovered but are still passing the bacteria in their poop (stools)
You can get enteric fever or paratyphoid fever if:
- You eat food or drink a beverage that has been touched by a person who is shedding (getting rid of) Salmonella Typhi or Salmonella Paratyphi in their poop and who has not washed their hands thoroughly after going to the bathroom.
- Sewage contaminated with Salmonella Typhi or Salmonella Paratyphi gets into the water you drink.
- Sewage contaminated with Salmonella Typhi or Salmonella Paratyphi gets into the water used to rinse food you eat raw.
Symptoms:
- Weakness
- Stomach pain
- Headache
- Diarrhoea or constipation
- Cough
- Loss of appetite
There is also an increase in gastro cases this ear, but experts reassure that it is likely to be seasonal and not linked to enteric fever. The disease can be life-threatening, and even after people recover, they can still be carriers for years or even the rest of their lives.
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