Typhoid

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Typhoid outbreak: MORE cases detected in SA – here are the main symptoms

With more Typhoid Fever cases being confirmed in the past few days, it’s perhaps best to know what exactly we’re dealing with here…

Typhoid

Photo: Unsplash

More cases of Typhoid Fever have been accounted for in South Africa this week, just days after the NICD identified a number of recent ‘cluster outbreaks’. However, it doesn’t appear there’s any need to panic.

New Typhoid cases found in SA – what does it mean?

Typhoid is a potentially fatal disease, but it’s by no means a death sentence for those who come down with it. A total of seven cases have been reported in Gauteng – with the latest one traced to Tshwane on Thursday.

Tshwane health MMC, Rina Marx, has insisted that neither the province nor the metro has experienced a cluster outbreak like the ones witnessed in the Western Cape or North West over the past few weeks:

“Laboratory confirmed reported cases in Tshwane since January 2022 are five, including a new one on Thursday, Reported cases this far are distributed, but there is currently no distinct cluster outbreak and the health department’s teams are monitoring all reported cases closely.”

Rina Marx

Where are cases being detected?

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) published a table of recent outbreaks on their website earlier this week. Adding the latest Gauteng data to this, we can see that the spread is fairly limited:

ProvinceDistrictNumber of casesDate of first caseDate of most recent case
Western CapeCity of Cape Town Metropolitan14*November 2020January 2022
Western CapeCape Winelands11*July 2020May 2021
Western CapeGarden Route12*August 2020December 2021
North WestDr Kenneth Kaunda16*November 2020December 2021
GautengTshwane5December 2021February 2022
GautengOther2December 2021February 2022


Case numbers with a * next to them represent cluster outbreaks.

What are the main symptoms of Typhoid?

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, public interest in disease outbreaks has soared. That’s why the health authorities are doing their best to communicate the situation clearly. As noted by some of the country’s leading experts, you may have Typhoid Fever if you come down with these symptoms:

  • A persistent high temperature that gradually increases each day
  • Headaches
  • General aches and pains
  • Abdominal pains or cramps
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Extreme tiredness/fatigue
  • Coughs
  • Constipation
  • Gastrointestinal disruption (diarrhea)