Epidemiology of typhoid fever in Balad City, Iraq

Abstract

One thousand nine hundred and twenty individuals admitted to the general teaching hospital in Balad City, suffer from abdominal pain, fever, a headache and nausea. Acute and chronic Typhoid-patients caused by S.typhi were diagnosed according to positive blood and stool culture respectively, and using serological test IgG/ IgM. Out of total 1920 individuals, we documented 312 typhoid-patients caused by S.typhi; 209(67%) in urban and 103(33%) in rural region and there were 263(84%) acute cases and 49(16%) chronic. The results recorded 180(57.7%) male and 132(42.3%) female and the age group 31-40 was the most infected with 130 cases (41.7%). There was high incidence of typhoid fever in quarter three and two which recorded 96 (30.8%) and 95 (30.5%) cases respectively. In conclusion: There was high prevalence of typhoid fever in urban than rural in Balad City and acute infections were dominant. The most cases were in middle age groups in hot seasons.