Typhoid in Less Developed Countries: A Major Public Health Concern

Abstract

Typhoid fever remains a major public health concern in less developed countries. The disease is transmitted through the consumption of food or water contaminated with feces containing Salmonella Typhi. Salmonella is a genus of the family Enterobacteriaceae with over 2450 species. Typhoid is more common in impoverished areas with unsafe drinking water sources and poor sanitation. These problems are further exacerbated by political instabilities, displacement, and war in the regions. Each year, 17.8 million cases of typhoid fever are reported in lower-income countries. Typhoid was expected to be most common in western Africa, followed by a few countries in Central, South, and Southeast Asia. In most cases, the incidence peaked between the ages of under 5 years. Recently, many Salmonella species had developed resistance to several antibiotics which call for serious prevention and control efforts that integrate several high-impact interventions targeting facilities and infrastructure, together with parallel efforts directed at effective strategies for use of typhoid conjugate vaccines. Hence, a multisector collaboration and approach from a different perspective have to be advocated for the containment of typhoid. The clinical and public health concerns and the strategies to stem the growing flows associated with typhoid are going to be discussed.