WiRED International Releases Improved Typhoid Fever Module
BY OLIVIA SPIRITO
he World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that every year 21 million cases of typhoid fever are diagnosed, and 222,000 deaths are caused by typhoid fever.
WiRED just updated its Typhoid Fever Module, one of 400+ modules in WiRED’s Health Learning Center. Typhoid fever is a severe infection caused by a bacterium, Salmonella typhi. WiRED’s module describes the disease and its risk factors, prevention, causes, diagnosis and treatment.
The bacterium Salmonella typhi causes typhoid fever when people ingest contaminated food or water. Typhoid fever is a life-threatening systemic disease; the longer the infection is in the body, the more the toxins spread and symptoms grow worse. Symptoms include a drawn-out fever, headache, nausea, loss of appetite, constipation and diarrhea. As the illness continues, complications could arise such as intestinal hemorrhaging, intestinal perforation and/or inflammation of the heart muscle.
Young children, pregnant women, older adults and those who have weak immune systems are at a higher risk of typhoid fever complications that could lead to death. The only treatment available for typhoid fever begins with antibiotic susceptibility testing, followed by a prescribed course of appropriate antibiotics. The antibiotic regime, unfortunately, is not always successful, so prevention is particularly important. Educating children and adults about sanitation and hygiene is vital in order to prevent further outbreaks of typhoid fever.
Learn More
The Typhoid Fever Module is part of WiRED’s project on Community Preparedness for Infectious Disease Outbreaks, which will be adding new modules in the upcoming months. To learn more about the project, read the recent story here.
Typhoid fever can be contracted simply by consuming contaminated food or water. Without proper knowledge and education, anyone is vulnerable to typhoid fever. To learn more about how to prevent, identify, and treat typhoid fever, go to WiRED’s Typhoid Fever Module.
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