Typhoid fever cases increase in Singapore in recent weeks

There has been an increase in typhoid fever cases in Singapore in recent weeks. The increase in typhoid fever cases in Singapore was announced in a memo issued to doctors by the Ministry of Health (MOH). The MOH memo was re-published on Facebook by Etern Medical, a local medical clinic:

The memo from MOH said, “as of 13 Aug 2019, the Ministry of Health (MOH) was notified of 15 local cases of typhoid fever who developed symptoms since 13 July to 2 Aug 2019.”

“As diagnosis of typhoid is by blood or stool tests typically done in hospitals, all 15 cases were hospitalised and are currently stable. 11 of them have since been discharged. Investigations are ongoing.”

Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection caused by Salmonella typhi. Transmission occurs through the faecal-oral route, commonly from consumption of drinking water or food that are contaminated by infected persons or chronic carriers.

The incubation period is 8 – 14 days (range from 3 to >60 days). Humans are the only natural host and reservoir for typhoid fever cases, said MOH.

Writing in their Facebook, Etern Medical said that “best test to use are stool specimen or rectal swab.” The medical clinic added, “blood test like Widal test, CRP , basic panel , stool calprotectin are useful to assess severity and to rule out other important conditions like Dengue.”

Etern Medical said even infants have been diagnosed to have salmonella infection in their clinics.

Last November, the authorities revealed that Salmonella bacteria found at a Spize restaurant outlet was behind a mass food poisoning incident. An auxiliary police officer, died of sepsis and multi-organ failure a week after eating from a bento box prepared by Spize.

Of the 211 people who ate at the restaurant, 73 people became ill and 47 were hospitalised. 36 tested positive for Salmonella, and except for the auxiliary police officer, the other 35 patients recovered from the infection.

The auxiliary police officer who died after eating the bento box at the restaurant was identified as Mohamd Fadli Mohd Saleh, a father of two children and an employee of ground-handling firm SATS. A Coroner’s Court heard on Thursday (15 Aug) that Fadli had consumed the food hours after it was prepared.

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The Healthy Daily was the first publication to break this story. The article has been reproduced here with permission.