Wed, Nov 29, 2023 page3

• Paratyphoid cases reach 10-year high

  FOOD HYGIENE KEY: The bacteria that cause paratyphoid fever are most often spread through food or water contaminated by an infected person’s feces or urine

  • By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
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  Twenty-two local cases of paratyphoid fever have been reported so far this year — the highest number for the period since 2014, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.

  One imported case from Indonesia was also reported this year, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said.

  The patients were between the ages of 10 and 60, and half of them were in their 20s, she said, adding that cases were reported in 11 cities and counties.

  

  Centers for Disease Control Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

  Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times

  CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said some of the cases seem to be linked to the consumption of undercooked seafood, as five of the 22 had eaten grilled oyster and two had eaten raw oyster.

  Eight people began experiencing symptoms in October, he said.

  The cases did not involve cluster infections among family members, at schools or workplaces, so human-to-human transmission has not been detected, Lo said.

  However, the centers would continue to conduct contact tracing and whole genome sequencing on bacteria specimens to clarify the likely sources of infection, he said.

  The bacteria that cause paratyphoid fever are usually spread through food or water that has been contaminated with the feces or urine of an infected person, but people can also get infected by eating undercooked seafood, especially shellfish, from a contaminated water source, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said.

  The incubation period is usually one to 10 days, the infectious period is about one to two weeks, and common symptoms include a continuous fever, headaches, malaise, weight loss, diarrhea, a slow heart rate and sometimes a red rash on the torso, he said.

  The seriousness of paratyphoid fever can vary depending on the bacterial strain, viral load and the length of time before treatment, but in some cases severe intestinal complications have led to death, Lin said, adding that with prompt diagnosis and proper treatment, the mortality rate falls to less than 1 percent.

  To reduce the risk of catching paratyphoid fever, people should avoid eating raw or undercooked food and drinking water that is from an unknown source or has not been boiled, avoid cross-contamination when preparing raw and cooked food, and maintain good personal hygiene, especially by washing hands thoroughly before and after preparing food, before eating and after using the toilet, he said.

  Of the 22 local cases, one man in his 50s has died, but he was hospitalized for cancer treatment when he began experiencing diarrhea and tested positive for the bacteria, Lo said.

  The man did not eat raw food in the hospital and his accompanying family members tested negative for paratyphoid, so the infection source remains unknown, he said.

  Meanwhile, the CDC said 243 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease have been reported so far this year — the highest number for the period in three years.

  Forty-four percent of the cases involved people aged 65 or older, it said.

  Eligibility for a government-funded pneumococcal vaccination program was expanded on Monday, so people aged 65 or older can get a dose of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine if they have never received one before, Lo said.

  Three types of government-funded vaccines are recommended for elderly people, including the XBB.1.5-adapted COVID-19 vaccine, the flu vaccine and the pneumococcal vaccine, he said, adding that they can reduce the risk of severe complications after infection.
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