Typhoid Fever in Nigeria, Prevalence, Causes, Incidence, Types and Natural Remedies
Typhoid fever continues to be a major public health issue in Nigeria, particularly in urban areas with inadequate sanitation infrastructure, the bacterium Salmonella Typhi causes the disease, which is primarily transmitted through the consumption of contaminated food and water. Poor hygiene practices, limited access to clean water, and overcrowding all contribute to the country's high incidence and prevalence of typhoid fever.
Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection caused by the bacteria Salmonella typhi. It is typically spread through contaminated food or water and can cause a range of symptoms, including fever, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. In severe cases, typhoid fever can lead to complications such as intestinal bleeding, perforation of the bowel, and even death.
Prevalence of Typhoid Fever in Nigeria
In Nigeria, the prevalence of typhoid fever is alarmingly high, with periodic outbreaks affecting different regions of the country. Children under the age of five, as well as young adults, are especially vulnerable, owing to a lack of immunity and exposure to contaminated environments. The lack of comprehensive surveillance systems and healthcare infrastructure exacerbates the situation, making it difficult to accurately assess the disease's true burden.
Incidence of typoid fever in Nigeria
Typhoid fever is still a major concern in Nigeria, with thousands of new cases reported each year. Seasonal variations, environmental factors, and socioeconomic disparities all play a role in the varying incidence rates observed across different regions. To combat the disease's spread, public health authorities and organizations are working to implement preventive measures such as vaccination campaigns and health education initiatives.
Symptoms of Typhoid Fever in Nigeria
Typhoid fever symptoms in Nigeria are similar to those seen globally, and often include a persistent high fever, headache, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea, and a rash known as "rose spots." In severe cases, the infection can result in potentially fatal complications such as intestinal perforation, sepsis, or neurological issues. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential for managing symptoms and avoiding complications.
Mortality Rate of Typhoid Fever in Nigeria
The typhoid fever mortality rate in Nigeria remains a major concern, particularly among vulnerable populations such as children, pregnant women, and people with pre-existing health conditions. Delayed diagnosis, inadequate treatment, and limited access to healthcare services all contribute to the disease's high mortality rate. Efforts to improve healthcare infrastructure, improve diagnostic capabilities, and promote early intervention are critical for lowering mortality and improving outcomes for typhoid fever patients
SYMPTOMS OF TYPHOID FEVER
Although youngsters with typhoid Fever every now and then come to be sick suddenly, signs and symptoms and signs are more likely to broaden progressively — regularly acting one to 3 weeks after exposure to the disorder.
• 1st Week Of Contamination
Once signs and symptoms and signs do seem, you are in all likelihood to revel in:
Fever, that starts low and will increase every day, regularly to as high as 103 or 104 F (39.4 or forty C)
Headache
Weakness and fatigue
Dry cough
Loss of urge for food
Abdominal ache
Diarrhea or Constipation
Rash
• 2nd Week Of Contamination
If you don't acquire treatment for typhoid Fever, you could enter a 2nd degree at some stage in that you turn out to be very ill and experience:
Continuing high Fever
Either Diarrhea or extreme Constipation
Considerable weight reduction
Extremely distended stomach
• 3rd week of Contamination
By the 3rd week, you can:
Become Delirious
Lie immobile and exhausted together with your eyes 1/2-closed in what's known as the typhoid state
Life-threatening headaches often increase presently.
• 4th Week Of Contamination
Improvement may additionally come slowly at some point of the fourth week. Your Fever is in all likelihood to decrease step by step till your temperature returns to ordinary in another week to ten days. But signs and signs can return up to 2 weeks after your Fever has subsided.
CAUSES OF TYPHOID FEVER
Typhoid Fever is due to a virulent bacterium referred to as Salmonella typhi. Although they're related, S. Typhi and the bacterium answerable for Salmonellosis, every other extreme intestinal contamination, aren't the equal.
Fecal-oral transmission route
The bacteria that motive typhoid Fever unfold via infected meals or water and once in a while thru direct contact with someone who's inflamed. In growing international locations, wherein typhoid is endemic, most instances end result from infected drinking water and negative sanitation. The majority of humans in industrialized international locations pick out up the typhoid micro organism whilst travelling and spread it to others thru the fecal-oral route.
This approach that S. Typhi is exceeded in the feces and on occasion within the urine of inflamed people. You can settlement the contamination in case you eat meals handled by using a person with typhoid Fever who hasn't washed carefully after the usage of the rest room. You also can turn out to be infected with the aid of consuming water infected with the bacteria.
Typhoid Carriers
Even after remedy with antibiotics, a small number of individuals who get over typhoid Fever continue to harbor the bacteria in their intestinal tracts or gallbladders, regularly for years. These human beings, called continual carriers, shed the bacteria of their feces and are able to infecting others, even though they now not have symptoms or symptoms of the sickness themselves.
RISK FACTORS OF TYPHOID FEVER
Typhoid Fever remains a serious world - wide risk, specifically in the growing global, affecting an envisioned 22 million humans every year, in keeping with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disorder is endemic in India, Southeast Asia, Africa, South America and many different areas.
Worldwide, youngsters are at best danger of getting the ailment, even though they usually have milder signs than adults do.
If you live in a country where typhoid Fever is rare, you're at increased hazard if you:
- Work in or journey to regions where typhoid Fever is endemic
- Work as a clinical microbiologist managing Salmonella typhi bacteria
- Have close touch with someone who's inflamed or has these days been infected with typhoid Fever
- Have an immune gadget weakened by means of medicinal drugs which includes corticosteroids or illnesses inclusive of HIV/AIDS
- Drink water contaminated by means of sewage that consists of S. Typhi
COMPLICATIONS OF TYPHOID FEVER
Intestinal Bleeding Or Holes
The maximum extreme worry of typhoid Fever — intestinal bleeding or holes (perforations) — may also broaden in the third week of infection. About 5 percentage of human beings with typhoid Fever experience this hardship.
Intestinal bleeding is frequently marked by using a sudden drop in blood pressure and Shock, followed through the appearance of blood in your stool.
A perforated gut occurs whilst your small gut or large bowel develops a hole, causing intestinal contents to leak into your stomach cavity and triggering signs and symptoms and signs along with severe stomach ache, nausea, vomiting and bloodstream contamination (Sepsis). This life-threatening emergency requires instant hospital treatment.
Other, much less common complications
Other possible complications include:
- Inflammation of the coronary heart muscle (Myocarditis)
- Inflammation of the lining of the coronary heart and valves (Endocarditis)
- Pneumonia
- Inflammation of the pancreas (Pancreatitis)
- Inflammation of the gallbladder (Cholecystitis)
- Kidney or bladder infections
- Infection and inflammation of the membranes and Fluid surrounding your brain and spinal cord (Meningitis)
- Psychiatric troubles along with Delirium, hallucinations and paranoid psychosis
With spark off remedy, almost every body in industrialized nations get over typhoid. Without remedy, a few human beings may not continue to exist complications of the disorder.
Natural Remedies for Typhoid Fever in Nigeria
In Nigeria, in addition to conventional antibiotic therapy, various traditional and natural remedies are used to treat typhoid fever symptoms. Herbal teas derived from plants such as ginger, turmeric, and neem are popular for their alleged anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Dietary changes, such as the consumption of easily digestible foods and electrolyte rich fluids, are also advised to help with hydration and nutritional status. However, for a comprehensive treatment plan and appropriate management of typhoid fever in Nigeria, it is important to go to any hospital near you.
TYPHOID FEVER TESTS AND DIAGNOSIS
Medical and travel history
Your health practitioner (doctor) is likely to suspect typhoid Fever based totally in your signs and symptoms and your medical and tour records. But the diagnosis is usually confirmed by using identifying S. Typhi in a tradition of your blood or different body Fluid or tissue.
Body Fluid or tissue culture
For the way of life, a small sample of your blood, stool, urine or bone marrow is positioned on a special medium that encourages the growth of micro organism. In 48 to seventy two hours, the subculture is checked beneath a microscope for the presence of typhoid micro organism. A bone marrow subculture frequently is the maximum sensitive test for S. Typhi.
Although acting a tradition check is the mainstay for analysis, in some times different trying out can be used to confirm a suspected typhoid infection, along with a check to come across antibodies to typhoid micro organism to your blood or a test that exams for typhoid DNA to your blood.
TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR TYPHOID FEVER:
LIFESTYLE AND HOME REMEDIES FOR TYPHOID FEVER
In many growing international locations, the general public health goals that can assist save you and control typhoid — safe ingesting water, stepped forward sanitation and ok hospital treatment — may be tough to attain. For that motive, a few professionals believe that vaccinating excessive-danger populations is the great way to control typhoid Fever.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends being vaccinated in case you''re traveling to areas wherein the danger of getting typhoid Fever is high.
Vaccines
Two vaccines are available.
1. One is injected in a unmarried dose about two weeks before publicity.
2. One is given orally in 4 drugs, with one capsule to be taken every different day.
Neither vaccine is one hundred percent powerful, and both require repeat immunizations as vaccine effectiveness diminishes through the years.
Because the vaccine may not offer complete safety, comply with these recommendations while visiting to excessive-threat regions as well:
Note: must see your doctor
• Wash your hands. Frequent hand-washing is the first-class way to govern infection. Wash your hands thoroughly with warm, soapy water, particularly before consuming or making ready meals and after using the rest room. Carry an alcohol-primarily based hand sanitizer for times while water isn't available.
• Avoid consuming untreated water. Contaminated drinking water is a particular trouble in areas wherein typhoid is endemic. For that motive, drink handiest bottled water or canned or bottled carbonated drinks, wine and beer. Carbonated bottled water is safer than uncarbonated bottled water is. Wipe the outdoor of all bottles and cans before you open them. Ask for liquids with out ice. Use bottled water to brush your enamel, and strive now not to swallow water inside the bathe.
• Avoid uncooked end result and vegetables. Because raw produce may additionally had been washed in hazardous water, avoid culmination and greens that you can not peel, mainly lettuce. To be simply safe, you could need to avoid uncooked foods absolutely.
• Choose hot meals. Avoid food that is saved or served at room temperature. Steaming warm meals are first-class. And although there's no assure that food served on the greatest restaurants are secure, it's satisfactory to keep away from meals from road carriers — it's more likely to be infected.
Prevent infecting others
If you are recovering from typhoid, these measures can assist keep others secure:
• Wash your fingers frequently. This is the single maximum essential issue you can do to preserve from spreading the contamination to others. Use lots of warm, soapy water and scrub very well for as a minimum 30 seconds, especially before eating and after using the bathroom.
• Clean family items day by day. Clean toilets, door handles, phone receivers and water faucets at the least once an afternoon with a household purifier and paper towels or disposable cloths.
• Avoid managing meals. Avoid preparing food for others until your doctor says you are now not contagious. If you work inside the meals provider industry or a health care facility, you might not be allowed to return to paintings until exams show which you're no longer losing typhoid bacteria.
• Keep private objects separate. Set apart towels, bed linen and utensils on your own use and wash them regularly in hot, soapy water. Heavily soiled gadgets can be soaked first in disinfectant.
References:
- Typhoid fever wiki - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid_fever
- Typhoid disease - https://www.britannica.com/science/typhoid-fever
- Disease Apk -