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.
