Controlling the Typhoid Epidemic Plaguing Sub-Saharan Africa
By Chris Nelson
Apr 4 2012, 3:04 PM ET 2
The Coalition against Typhoid was established to combat this neglected disease and advocate for the millions currently suffering from it.
Since early November 2011, there has been a surge of typhoid fever outbreaks in central and southern Africa, affecting children and adults alike. Unfortunately, it takes a series of outbreaks such as these in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to draw attention to this often-overlooked disease in a region plagued by many needs and few resources.
Typhoid outbreaks usually occur when common water and food sources become contaminated with infected human waste. Symptoms include high fever, flu-like symptoms, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea, and even death. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) approximately 21.6 million cases of typhoid occur each year, resulting in at least 200,000 deaths, mostly among school- and preschool-aged children...[snip]
Recent surveillance activities have found that multi-drug-resistant typhoid strains are widespread in Africa, in some areas exceeding 75 percent of all cases....
