Emergence of drug-resistant typhoid strains

  • IASbaba
  • June 23, 2022
  • 0
Science and Technology
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Context: The study published in The Lancet Microbe points to the reduced effectiveness of antibiotics for typhoid fever is threatened because of the emergence of resistant strains

  • Typhoid fever causes 11 million infections and more than 100,000 deaths per year. South Asia accounts for 70% of the global disease burden.
  • Since 2000, multi-drug-resistant (MDR) S Typhi has declined steadily in Bangladesh and India, remained low in Nepal, and increased slightly in Pakistan.
  • However, these are being replaced by strains resistant to other antibiotics
  • The genome analysis also reveals that resistant strains – almost all originating in South Asia – have spread to other countries 197 times since 1990.

Typhoid

  • Typhoid fever is caused by the highly contagious Salmonella Typhi bacteria.
  • The bacteria spread through contaminated food or water.
  • Symptoms are prolonged fever, headache, nausea, loss of appetite, and constipation or sometimes diarrhoea.
  • Clinical severity varies and severe cases may lead to serious complications or even death
  • According to WHO children under the age of two years account for a large proportion of severe typhoid fever cases.

Source: Indian Express

Previous Year Questions

Q.1) Which one of the following statements is not correct? (2019)

  1. Hepatitis B virus is transmitted much like HIV.
  2. Hepatitis B unlike Hepatitis C does not have a vaccine.
  3. Globally, the number of people infected with Hepatitis B and C viruses arc several times more than those infected with HIV.
  4. Some of those infected with Hepatitis B and C viruses do not show the symptoms for many years.

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