Typhoid Fever Outbreak in Real, Quezon (Philippines)
I’ve just seen on TV Patrol the news about a possible typhoid fever outbreak in Real, Quezon, Philippines. The number of suspected cases in of typhoid fever in Real, Quezon is 84 as of this writing. The suspected source of this outbreak is the spring in the place which is the people’s primary source of drinking water.
Typhoid fever or “tipus” is a common illness in the Philippines and is commonly caused by ingesting contaminated food or water. The most common sources of contamination are human stool and chicken stool. Like other common diseases and illnesses in the Philippines during the rainy season, the best way to prevent typhoid fever is to make sure that the food and water that you take in are clean.
According to wikipedia,
Typhoid fever also known as enteric fever, or commonly just typhoid, is an illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. Common worldwide, it is transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with feces from an infected person. The bacteria then perforate through the intestinal wall and are phagocytosed by macrophages. Salmonella Typhi then alters its structure to resist destruction and allow them to exist within the macrophage. This renders them resistant to damage by PMN’s, complement and the immune response. The organism is then spread via the lymphatics while inside the macrophages. This gives them access to the reticuloendothelial system and then to the different organs throughout the body. The organism is a Gram-negative short bacillus that is motile due to its peritrichous flagella. The bacteria grows best at 37 °C/99 °F – human body temperature.
In addition, the signs and symptoms of typhoid fever include the following:
- High fever
- Pallor/Pale Skin
- Lack of appetite/anorexia
- Diarrhea
According to the record of the Department of Health (DOH), the highest number of confirmed cases of typhoid fever outbreak was in Laguna with 400 cases and 7 deaths.
Prevention of typhoid fever include, but is not limited to, the following:
- Frequent handwashing with antibacterial soap
- Environmental sanitation especially proper waste disposal
- Boiling of unsanitary water for at least 2 minutes
If you want to get updates on Nursing Researches, Nursing Board Exam Results, Nursing Articles, Nursing Education, Health and Health tips, and other informative articles in this site, please subscribe to my Free RSS feed. Thank you very much!
Tags: common diseases and conditions, health, health tips, Typhoid Fever Outbreak, Typhoid fever outbreak in the Philippines
Nakaka-cause ba ang symptoms nito ng hepatitis? May students kasi ako dito na taga Quezon at nagka-hepa siya dati, pero di naman grabe.
[Reply]
jessie Reply:
November 18th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Mhy,
It’s very possible to contract hepatitis also. However, merong iba’t ibang klase ng hepatitis kasi. Merong Hepa A, B and C. Kung di grabe yung hepa nya malamang Hepatitis A yun dahil nagamot pa.
jessie’s last blog post..Complete List of CPA Board Exam Passers (October 2008)
[Reply]
[...] causative agent of cholera is Vibrio Cholerae. Just like the typhoid fever outbreak in Real, Quezon, the modes of transmission of cholera are contaminated food and/or contaminated water. However, for [...]
[...] an update to my previous article on the Typhoid Fever Outbreak in Real, Quezon (Philippines), I am posting here the latest statistics on typhoid fever in the area. As of this writing, there [...]
[...] to public health? Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped bacteria that causes Salmonellosis and Typhoid fever. These bacteria can be seen in raw or half-cooked pork, chicken, beef, and eggs from infected hens [...]