Improper hygiene and sanitation aid the fast spread of diseases and infections, and
infection spreads faster than fire. A common Infection that arises from improper sanitation and hygiene is typhoid fever. Typhoid fever is a life-threatening illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi.
In Nigeria typhoid affects both children and adults and if not treated properly could be fatal. It is largely a disease of developing nations due to their poor standard of hygiene and unavailability of potable water. It is transmitted faecal-orally through contaminated food and water.
Typhoid fever is highly contagious. An infected person can pass the bacteria out of their body in their stools (faeces) or, less commonly, in their urine. If someone else eats food or drinks water that has been contaminated with a small amount of infected faeces or urine, they can become infected with the bacteria and develop typhoid fever. For instance if a person that is infected with the bacteria uses the restroom and did not wash his or her hands afterwards, dips her hand into a communal food. There is every tendency that the bacteria are being passed on into the food, thereby making the food contaminated.
You can get typhoid fever if you eat food or drink beverages that have been handled by a
person who is shedding Salmonella typhi or if sewage contaminated with Salmonella typhi bacteria gets into the water you use for drinking or washing food. Therefore, typhoid fever is more common in areas of the world where hand washing is less frequent and water is likely to be contaminated with
sewage. Once Salmonella typhi bacteria are eaten or drunk, they multiply and spread into the
bloodstream. The body reacts with fever and other signs and symptoms. Common symptoms of typhoid fever includes; a high temperature that can reach 39–40°C (103–104°F), stomach pain, headache and constipation or diarrhoea.
Children and younger adults are thought to
be most at risk of developing typhoid fever.
This may be because their immune system
which is the body’s natural defence against
infection and illness is still developing.
Hence it is very important we ensure that
children and young adults food are prepared
under standard sanitized conditions.
Two basic actions can protect you from
typhoid fever: Avoid risky foods and drinks
and get vaccinated against typhoid fever.
• Ensure you boil or filter water
before drinking. Use clean water in cooking;
you could even boil the water before using it
to cook.
• Avoid lollies that are sold in
nylon or made locally, unless you are sure it
was made in a sanitized environment.
• Eat foods that have been
thoroughly cooked and that are still hot and
steaming.
• Wash vegetables with salt and
clean water.
• When you eat raw fruit or
vegetables that can be peeled, peel them
yourself. (Wash your hands with soap first.)
Do not eat the peelings.
• Avoid foods and beverages from
street vendors. It is difficult for food to be
kept clean on the street, and many people
get sick from food bought from street
vendors.
It may surprise you, but watching what you
eat and drink is as important as being
vaccinated. This is because the vaccines are
not completely effective.
TREATMENT
- Antibiotics are mostly prescribed for persons suffering from typhoid fever. The most suitable antibiotic is CIPROFLOXACIN. This drug can be found in any standard pharmacy stores.
One 500mg tablet of the drug should be taken twice daily (morning and night). Antibiotics are best taken after meals.
- In this blog, we love nature so much and we respect all the natural gifts embedded upon the earth by the creator.
Here are natural tips to combat typhoid fever:
* A finely blended mixture of lime, unripe pineapple and unripe pawpaw all boiled in corn meal water (pap water/ ogi water/ akamu water).
* A quarter-glass cup quantity of this mixture should be taken three times daily until the typhoid disappears. (i tell you, it works like magic............).
N.B: To achieve a faster and more succinct healing process, the former and latter treatment procedures should be carried out simultaneously.
