The Effectiveness of Azithromycin versus Cefixime in the Treatment of Typhoid Fever in Children

Abstract

Typhoid fever is brought on by the Salmonella Typhibacteria. Typhoid fever can present with a wide range of clinical symptoms, making diagnosis difficult. Salmonella Typhi isa bacterium that spreads quickly in unsanitary environments. In addition, this disease is more prevalent in places with inadequate hygienic conditions,economically unsustainable poor people, and rural areas with a lack of safe drinking water supply are at high risk ofdeveloping typhoid fever. Objective: To compare the results of azithromycin versus cefixime in the treatment of typhoid fever in children. Methods: A clinical/Quasi-Experimental study was conducted in the pediatric ward, Liaquat University HospitalJamshoro/Hyderabad by convenience sampling technique within the time frame of six months.SPSS Version 26.0 was employed to analyze the data,by using chi square test. Results: Out of 270 subjects, Individuals of age group (2-5 years) were more affected (53.4%). The male population was more affected (57.8%). Signs and symptoms like fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation were observed and calculated in this study.Clinical cure occurred in 110 (81.4%) of 135 patients treated with azithromycin, compared with 68(50.3%) of 135 patients treated with cefixime (p-value=<0.001). Conclusions: It was concluded that everyday taking of oral azithromycin may present a plain cure for typhoid fever brought on by drug-resistant or susceptible strains of Salmonella Typhi, which makes it potentially useful in places with limited access to healthcare services. Most of the children aged between 2 to 5 years with male predominance were affected.