Typhoid Fever: What You Need To Know
Preparedness is very important for all of us. It is an enormous help to make our life easier in this world full of bad possibilities.
As the rainy season starts, the Department of Health (DOH) has given us healthy tips to avert the illness we can get from many waterborne diseases. And one of those is the notorious Typhoid Fever. It is an infectious disease, also known as enteric fever or just typhoid. The acute illness caused by Salmonella Typhi bacteria spreads through contaminated food and water or through close contact with someone who is infected.
The symptoms of this ailment are evident: high fever, headache, malaise or feeling not healthy, anorexia (loss of appetite), either diarrhea or constipation and abnormal discomfort.
Recent records showed that 66 residents have already fallen ill of the disease in 18 villages in Oas town in Albay. The case of the water-borne disease began in May this year, with those who were hospitalized being diagnosed with high fever for more than five days. Municipal health records indicated that more than half of the people that fell sick were children while initial findings said that the patients fell ill after drinking water from the town water reservoir.
Locals of Oas were given a free medical treatment and government agencies strictly implemented the household chlorination with the use of chlorine, aqua tabs, chlorine solution, (waterine) and sanitation as the first action for their safety.
Dealing with the fever
A person who would show symptoms of typhoid fever should be aided eventually by telling to their family immediately on what is happening to them. If the disease gets worse, it can give infections that turn into complications like gastrointestinal bleeding, intestinal perforation, and encephalopathy or disease of the brain. Fortunately, there are three methods on how to deal with them immediately:
First, they can drink boiled water in order to get rid of the fever. Second, buy antibiotics that would kill S. Typhi bacteria as prescribed by doctors. Third, go to the nearest hospital or clinic and ask for a syringe that can prevent typhoid fever.
Basic prevention of the fever
But prevention is still better than cure. To prevent coming down with Typhoid Fever, we are encouraged to take simple health tips from the DOH like avoid drinking from untreated water.
In terms of eating, our food should always be well-cooked and have a cover to prevent contamination from flies and other insects. If our surroundings are dirty, we need to clean it to prevent the breeding of flies. We also should avoid eating unsanitary street-vended food, and most importantly wash hands with soap after using the toilet and before eating.
For a more safer approach, we should always be immunized by World Health Organization (WHO) pre-qualified oral injectible vaccines.These safety precautions are big help that we can do in preparing for the rainy season. We should always expect the torrential rainfalls and the consequences it may bring. The least we can do is to be prepared in advance by obeying the simple health tips that the government always give us. Keep safe!
