Paratyphoid fever, a notifiable disease, was diagnosed in Potchefstroom last Thursday when laboratory results of two patients tested positive. The patients were treated at Mooimed Hospital.
A local medical doctor who treated them said it’s a very rare bacterial infection caused by one of three types of Salmonella enterica growing in the intestines and blood. It is usually spread by eating food or drinking water which is contaminated with the feces of an infected person. Infection may also occur when a person who prepares food is infected. Carriers of the bacteria will not show any symptoms but they are still able to spread the disease to others.
Symptoms usually begin 6–30 days after exposure. A gradual onset of a high fever occurs over several days. Other symptoms may also include weakness, loss of appetite, headaches and vomiting. The bacterial infection can be successfully treated with the correct antibiotics, the doctor said.
- A notifiable disease is any disease that is required by law to be reported to the Department of Health. The collation of information allows authorities to monitor the disease, and provides early warning of possible outbreaks.
