The City of Ekurhuleni says it is on high alert for cases of enteric fever, commonly known as typhoid fever.

This follows the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) announcing the outbreak of enteric fever in the Western Cape and North West provinces.

However, as of today, there have been no identified cases of typhoid fever in the City of Ekurhuleni.

Enteric fever is a potentially life-threatening infection. It includes typhoid fever (caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi) and paratyphoid fever (caused by Salmonella Paratyphi A, B and C).

These bacteria only infect humans, and humans are the only reservoirs. Transmission of the infection is by the faecal-oral route (through ingesting food or water contaminated with the faeces of an infected person).

The symptoms of enteric fever are nonspecific and can resemble many other infections. The most characteristic symptom is a high fever that is usually prolonged.

Other symptoms include fatigue, headache, nausea, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhoea.

Severe disease may occur and lead to severe complications, which can be fatal. However, enteric fever is readily treatable with antibiotics and most patients recover without complications.

As a precautionary measure, the city’s environmental health practitioners are on stand-by to attend to any suspected cases of enteric fever.

“Should a suspected case be identified, our practitioners will be dispatched immediately to the identified patient and conduct an assessment of the patient and possible sources of exposure,” the City of Ekurhuleni said in a statement.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends the following precautionary measures to prevent and control the spread of  enteric fever. These include:

• Ensure food is adequately cooked and still hot when served.
• Avoid raw milk and products made from raw milk. Drink only pasteurized or boiled milk.
• Avoid ice unless it is made from safe water.
• When the safety of drinking water is questionable, boil it or if this is not possible, disinfect it with a reliable, slow-release disinfectant agent (usually available at pharmacies).
• Wash hands thoroughly and frequently using soap, in particular after contact with pets or farm animals, or after having been to the toilet.
• Wash fruits and vegetables carefully, mainly if they are eaten raw. If possible, vegetables and fruits should be peeled.

As stated in a press release issued by the NICD on Monday, there is no evidence that recent cases of enteric fever are linked to contaminated municipal water in any part of the country, and there is no evidence that the bacteria causing enteric fever have recently been identified in municipal water sources anywhere in the country.

This includes those districts in the Western Cape and North West provinces in which the clusters (small localised outbreaks) have been identified.

However, the Department of Water and Sanitation has urged municipalities to conduct drinking water quality tests amid reports of typhoid fever.

“The city urges residents experiencing any of the listed symptoms above to present themselves to their nearest clinic or health facility for assessment, diagnosis and treatment.

“The city also calls for calm as there is no need for panic,” said the City of Ekurhuleni.

Source: South African Government News Agency