Beware of typhoid fever symptoms
Typhoid is an infectious bacterial fever characterised by an eruption of red spots on the chest and abdomen and severe intestinal irritation.
There were four cases of typhoid reported in Gauteng, one of which was in Ekurhuleni.
A 27-year-old female who was diagnosed with the disease, died at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Johannesburg.
It is alleged that three cases were recently reported in the Cape Town area.
According to Steve Mabona, spokesman of the Department of Health, typhoid is a highly infectious disease and spreads through the ingestion of contaminated food or water.
“It is common in communities where there is inadequate sanitation,” he says.
Poor personal hygiene is also responsible for the rapid spread of the disease, and it is particularly important to wash hands before preparing food.
Symptoms of typhoid include:
- High fever
- Headache
- Joint pains
- Abdominal discomfort sometimes with vomiting.
Health professionals are advised to test such patients for typhoid and if not possible, they must be referred to institutions that are capable of conducting such tests.
“We have activated our Outbreak Response Team, to trace and manage these cases and to determine if there is a common source, we wish to assure the public that we are on the alert,” says Gauteng MEC for Health, Qedani Mahlangu.
The Outbreak Response Team sent environmental health practitioners to the residences of the affected patients, to check whether there are other people who may have similar symptoms and have taken samples from all sources of drinking water, to determine the source of the disease.
“The team has also checked on patients at all affected health facilities and will continue to be on the alert. We advise all health professionals in Gauteng to be vigilant,” Mahlangu concludes.
