Typhoid Fever

Overview :

S. typhi bacteria are passed into the stool and urine of infected patients. They may continue to be present in the stool of asymptomatic carriers, who are persons who have recovered from the symptoms of the disease but continue to carry the bacteria. This carrier state occurs in about 3% of all individuals recovered from typhoid fever.

Typhoid fever is passed from person to person through poor hygiene, such as incomplete or no hand washing after using the toilet. Persons who are carriers of the disease and who handle food can be the source of epidemic spread of typhoid. One such individual gave her name to the expression "Typhoid Mary," a name given to someone whom others avoid.

Typhoid fever is a particularly difficult problem in parts of the world with poor sanitation practices. There are about 16 million cases of typhoid reported around the world each year. In the United States, most patients who contract typhoid fever have recently returned from travel to another country where typhoid is much more common, including Mexico, Peru, Chile, India, and Pakistan. However, there have been reports in the early 2000s of typhoid outbreaks within the United States that were unrelated to recent travel. One such outbreak occurred in Queens, New York, and was traced to a worker in a local restaurant.