Emergence of drug-resistant typhoid strains

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.