Typhoid Outbreak in Kuala Lumpur: How To Avoid Getting Infected

Kuala Lumpur Hit With Typhoid Fever

Typhoid Outbreak in Kuala Lumpur: How To Avoid Getting Infected. Image 1A. Image size:720x405px

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Kuala Lumpur Health Department’s Advise On Avoiding Typhoid

How Can I Prevent From Getting It ?

Since typhoid fever is contracted by the ingestion of contaminated food or water, follow these tips:

Wash your hands
Avoid street food
Cook your food: if you can’t peel it, cook it or wash it, you shouldn’t be eating it.
Avoid drinking untreated water.
Avoid raw fruits and vegetables
Choose hot foods

Typhoid fever can be treated with antibiotics. However, resistance to common antimicrobials is widespread. Healthy carriers should be excluded from handling food.

Where Can You Get Infected ?

From unhygienic food preparations.

The confirmed cases involving construction workers were located in Cheras and they worked in various sites in the city centre.

24 food premises have been inspected, some 79 waste and four water supply samples have been tested but not showed positive for the bacteria Salmonella typhii and checks are also being done in ice factories to ensure the water supply is not contaminated.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said Titiwangsa recorded the highest number of typhoid fever at 16 cases, followed by Kepong (8), Lembah Pantai and Cheras (four cases respectively).

How Is It Spread?

It is transmitted through the ingestion of food or drink contaminated by the faeces or urine of infected people.

People with acute illness can contaminate the surrounding water supply through stool, which contains a high concentration of the bacteria. Contamination of the water supply can, in turn, taint the food supply.

If you have the infection, or are recovering, please do the following:

Take your antibiotics
Wash your hands often
Avoid handling food

Kuala Lumpur Hit With Typhoid Fever

Typhoid fever has struck the capital city, with seven cases of typhoid fever among construction workers in Cheras in the first week of August, and two of the 10 contacts examined were tested positive and were given treatment.

The number of typhoid fever cases in the city have been on the rise, with 32 cases reported since August, and the public have been advised to practice more stringent personal and food hygiene to avoid infection.

Kuala Lumpur Health Department’s Advise On Avoiding Typhoid

The Kuala Lumpur Health Department had issued a media statement advising the public on precautionary measures to avoid the infection.

What Is Typhoid Fever?

Typhoid fever is a bacterial disease, caused by the bacteria, Salmonella typhi.

Who Can Get It?

Anyone exposed to contaminated food or water.

What Are The Symptoms?

Pain areas: in the abdomen or muscles
Whole body: fever, chills, exhaustion, fatigue, loss of appetite, malaise, or nausea
Gastrointestinal: bleeding, bloating, blood in stool, constipation, diarrhea, or vomiting
Also common: headache, internal bleeding, muscle weakness, rash with small red dots, skin rash, or weight loss
Symptoms usually develop 1–3 weeks after exposure, and may be mild or severe.

Typhoid Fever Overview

Advise from medical professionals

Prevention

Please don’t eat from hawker stalls hiring foreign workers, such as roti canai stalls etc. Do not take ice drinks and ice cubes . Once infected of Typhoid fever, it is necessary to be hospitalized for 14 days and be isolated for blood test.

Antiboitic Has Adverse Side Effects

Salmonella typhi is also found resistant to antibiotics. Make sure you only eat from cooked food stalls, or totally avoid eating out if possible. Be extra careful!

Salmonella typhi has an antibiotic cure called Chloromycetin/Chloramphenicol. But there have been drug-resistant strains of Salmonella typhi.
Once infected, it is big trouble.

This antibiotic, chloramphenicol, has shown serious adverse side effects, it causes bone marrow damage to a very small number of unfortunate typhoid patients, who, even after being cured, may develop leukemia in the future!

So be very very careful. Avoid food stalls or restaurants hiring foreign workers, do not take ice beverages or ice cubes. Only eat from cooked food stall and take hot drinks!