Cases of typhoid fever and paratyphoid fever have both increased this year. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) last week said that this year so far there have been seven confirmed cases of typhoid fever, two of which were indigenous. Five of the cases came from outside the country. All four confirmed cases of paratyphoid fever were imported.
CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw says that typhoid and paratyphoid are at an all-time high when compared to the number of cases in the same period over the past three years. People are reminded to avoid uncooked foods and street vendor foods when traveling to other countries, Chou says, adding that drinking water should be boiled first, or you should buy bottled mineral water. You should maintain good hygiene to avoid catching typhoid, he says.
Three of the five confirmed cases of imported typhoid were foreign workers, while two of them were Taiwanese students. The countries where they got infected include Indonesia, the Philippines and Pakistan. The countries of origin for the four confirmed imported cases of paratyphoid include Cambodia, Nepal and Myanmar.
Photo: Reuters
照片:路透
Typhoid and paratyphoid are transmitted primarily through the fecal-oral route, Chou says. The CDC classifies typhoid fever as a type-two communicable disease, Chou says, adding that the disease’s incubation period is approximately eight to 14 days (can be up to 60 days), and is usually transmitted in areas with poor hygienic conditions.
The main routes of transmission include uncooked or undercooked food, or coming into contact with food or water contaminated by fecal matter from people carrying the bacteria or with the disease. Common symptoms include recurrent fever, headaches, malaise, nausea, rose spots, abdominal pains, and constipation or diarrhea. The incubation period for paratyphoid is one to 10 days. The routes of transmission are similar to typhoid, while the symptoms are less severe.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
今年無論是傷寒或是副傷寒,病例都有增加,疾管署官員上週表示,今年迄今傷寒確定病例共七例,其中二例為本土個案、五名為境外移入病例;另副傷寒確定病例共四例,皆為境外移入。
疾管署副署長周志浩表示,傷寒和副傷寒病例數均創下近三年同期新高,提醒出國民眾應避免生食及不吃路邊攤食品,飲水應煮沸後再喝,或使用瓶裝的礦泉水,保持良好衛生習慣,避免傷寒上身。
五名境外移入傷寒確定病例中,有三名為外勞,二名為本國籍學生,感染國家分別為印尼、菲律賓及巴基斯坦;四例副傷寒境外移入確定病例部分,感染國家包括柬埔寨、尼泊爾及緬甸。
周志浩指出,傷寒及副傷寒主要經由糞口途徑傳染,傷寒為第二類法定傳染病,潛伏期約八至十四天(最長可達六十天),經常發生於衛生條件較差的地區。
主要的傳染途徑為生食或食用未煮熟、遭受病患或帶菌者糞便污染的食物或飲水,常見症狀有持續性發燒、頭痛、不適、厭食、紅疹、腹痛、便秘或腹瀉等;副傷寒潛伏期約一至十天,傳染途徑與傷寒相似,但症狀較輕微。
(自由時報記者魏怡嘉)
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