http://www.hcphes.org/php2/typhoid%20fact%20sheet.htm
We should have a preparedness plan such as identified antibiotic and in good supply.
Educating ourselves is # one way to avoid infection from diseases like cholera and typhoid.
IMHO San Pedro has been setting a stage for these diseases with its unplanned development. Blame can come later but right now we should get our asses prepared...no pun intended...well maybe a little :-)
What antibiotic treatment is currently suggested ?

I called the Ministry of Health about typhoid vaccinations this week. I was told that Belize does not stock typhoid vaccinations because there is no guarantee of their efficacy and it gives people a false sense of security.

Huh?

The antibiotics are for after you get it to stop yourself from rapid dehydration to death.
Quick attention with IV fluids and antibiotics are the trick to surviving. I was in North Africa/Tunisia in the 80's and saw people who literally shit themselves to death from ignorance of what to do.
“boil it, cook it, peel if or forget it.' is a great way to prevent getting it, better still is development of good water supply and septic systems so it doesn't get around in the first place.
In a nut shell here it is" Cholera and typhoid fever are bacterial diseases that are acquired by the
consumption, mainly of water, but sometimes of food, that has been contaminated by
sewage containing the excrement of people suffering from the disease."

Its no big deal if diagnosed. I got typhoid yrs ago, came down with the symptoms about a week later, its treated with antibiotics, in my case, chlorinphenicol (probably not spelled correct) and now there are better drugs for it. I also used bush medicine to treat the symptons and promote the healing process. Cholera is the same-know the symptoms, get treatment and stay rehydrated. All you need are simple antibiotics. Nothing to worry about and the health dept always announces outbreaks. I was a very healthy person with typhoid. The health dept is right. There are two kinds of thyphoid; one the shot can work for and the other the shot doesn't do a thing to prevent. Its important to semi quarantine yourself-wash your hands after going to the bathroom, use a different bathroom than others use if possible and stay away from preparing or cleaning up in the kitchen. I tested clean about 10 days later.

The San Pedro Sun came out with some interesting info on this today. San Pedro Health inspector Ms. Tillet reported residents that tested positive, however it sounds like more testing and better tests are in order.
My belief is wells and septic on the same small lots in San Pedro can cycle fecal matter for generations, the inhabitants adapt and unless a very harmful bacteria is in the cycle there is no problem. Its when something like Cholera or Typhoid are introduced by a sick person using the system that the system become the spreading agent. Thats why I say San Pedro is setting the stage for a serious health problem, we have only been lucky... so far.

You're right, but remember, you really need a stool sample and these people only had blood tests to confirm typhoid. It spreads very quickly if it is.

Elbert,
I couldn't agree more with waste water polluting the ground water on the Caye. There are solutions that can be implemented to control waster water entering the water table. One I have been researching are constructed wetlands. Basically a closed 3 stage septic. The final stage instead of having a soak away, a sealed planter bed filled with plantings that use the nutrients in the waste water. It never goes to ground. These systems have been in use in Akumal Mexico for 20 years with success in helping keep their ground water cleaner. Dive shops, hotel and private homes have installed these systems.
I think this is something that could work on Ambergris Caye .Here is a link with more information.
http://www.ceakumal.org/html_en/programs/water_quality.php

I wasn't talking about antibiotics - I was talking about the vaccines recommended by the WHO and available in most other countries. I find it weird that Belize just doesn't do them.

Some further info:

"Effectiveness of the VaccineTop
The efficacy of the two licensed vaccines ranges from 50% to 80%.

The oral vaccine has shown a protective efficacy of 62% for at least seven years after the last dose. The inactivated vaccine for its part, showed a 55% efficacy in a recent study in South Africa three years after immunization of children 5 to 16 years of age."

If there is a vaccine available that gives 50-80% protection, I'm quite willing to consider getting that vaccine and reduce my risks of the unpleasantness of the disease. I still think it is strange that it isn't available here.

Dra Mendez at 223 5962 or 602 7077 brings the shots in from Guatemala, call her.

Thanks Katie. You're like a bloody encyclopedia. A very good one I must add.

With all the law office commercials offering to get money for people who have taken such and such a drug and are now suffering crazy side effects I am a bit wary of vaccines.

Still take meds when I am sick but scary to think of the side effects.

http://www.wikio.co.uk/video/penn-teller-vaccinations-3938132
cute!

The vaccine I just had for typhoid is called TYPHIM Vi
The vaccine is good for 3 years and it's not 100% effective but at least it's helpful along with practicing boil it, cook it, peel it or forget it. Be careful of watermelon as some people inject water into them to increase weight for sales.
Even brushing your teeth with infected water can cause trouble.
The vaccine cost $75 here in Canada. Well worth it I hope as I'm coming to San Pedro from may to november.

Stay well
Lisa

Dra Mendez in Belize City has the shots if you want 223 5962.

My understanding is the injectable typhoid vaccine offers protection for two years, the oral one for five.

funny video Elbert

The CDC has a very good overiew of this topic at --> Typhoid Fever-General Information http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/typhoid_fever/

Look for vaccination efficacy in the 60-70% range.

Regards,

DocVikingo

Hi Katie,

Chloramphenicol (e.g., Chloromycetin, Chloracol) is a broad-spectrum antibiotic long used to treat a variety of bacterial infections, including typhoid. Due to resistance issues, its prescription dwindled significantly by the late 70s, and as a paradoxical result it is being re-eaxamined. In a nutshell, due to a period of low-level use it's remained active against a large number of currently prevalent bacteria and clinicians are beginning to re-evaluate their use in various patient populations and infections, despite the fact that they were previously thought to be less effective and/or more toxic than newer agents. It also has the distinct advantage of being inexpensive and readily available.

However, as you indicate the current first-line drugs for typhoid in most regions are among the newer and better fluoroquinolones (e.g., Cipro, Levaquin).

Regards,

DocVikingo

And the drug is problematic in that you need to get your blood tested. The contraindications for the drug concerned me and I stopped taking it at some point in the treatment and used bush meds to treat symptoms, but assume it was the drug that killed the bacteria, as I tested clean afterwards.

My question is, has anyone who used a stool sample tested positive on the caye? Blood tests are not as realiable to diagnos typhoid.

My question is, has anyone who used a stool sample tested positive on the caye? Blood tests are not as realiable to diagnos typhoid. [/quote]

there has not been a positive typhoid ID through a stool sample, only through the Widel blood tests

Has the water around the WASA facility been tested by the health department for fecal matter?

Yes, according to the Health Dept. it tested positive for human fecal matter

Well, thats very special. What a comfort.

Ministry of Health says not so about potential spread of Typhoid Fever

The bacteria that causes typhoid fever spreads through contaminated food, drink, or water. Cases of the fever have been reported on La Isla Bonita and residents are worrying that it can spread throughout the island. But the Ministry of Health says not so. News Five Marion Ali reports.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection characterized by diarrhea, systemic disease, and a rash most commonly caused by the bacteria Salmonella typhi. For several weeks there have been mixed reports of whether or not the highly contagious virus is present in the nation’s most visited tourist destination—San Pedro. While a medical lab on the island has confirmed that typhoid was suspected among several persons, the Ministry of Health’s Central Laboratory has not returned results for any of the samples. Editor of the San Pedro Sun, Tamara Sniffin, says she got sick on Valentine weekend and her test results came back positive.

Tamara Sniffin, Typhoid Victim

Tamara Sniffin

“I started running a very high temperature, very achy severe diarrhea—very, very sick—chills and all of that. So that Monday, the eighteenth of February, I went in to my doctor to be examined. She decided to take a blood test and she had said that she understood that there were some cases of typhoid on the island. So she took a blood test and later that day she called me and said that my test was positive for typhoid.”

But an official at the Central Health Region Laboratory where the samples are sent for confirmation has denied that any of the cases in San Pedro was ever typhoid. The official, who spoke to us off camera, said that typhoid is detected by tests conducted on fecal matter and not through blood samples. And a check with the nation’s only referral hospital, the Karl Heusner Memorial, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Bernard Bulwer says there have been no cases confirmed at the hospital.

Dr. Bernard Bulwer, Chief Medical Officer, K.H.M.H.

Bernard Bulwer

“As far as the question about are we looking at anything resembling an epidemic or outbreak of typhoid? The answer from our emergency department is no. Certainly from where we sit at the K.H.M.H. we’re not seeing any cases for alarm our concern.”

But while mainland Belize has reported no case of typhoid fever, nor has the Ministry of Health announced any cases in San Pedro, Doctor Daniel Gonzalez, co-owner of the San Pedro Central Laboratory which conducted tests on blood samples, told News Five that he is convinced that the virus is present on the island.

Dr. Daniel Gonzalez, Co-owner, San Pedro Lab Centre

“I don’t know exactly the amount of patients that we have had in San Pedro. I can talk at least about two cases that I’ve had here at my office that I have treated for typhoid fever. It’s confirmed through with all tests which check for titers of immunological tests.”

Marion Ali

“Was it confirmed by your lab here in San Pedro?

Daniel Gonzalez

Dr. Daniel Gonzalez

“Yes it was confirmed by my lab here in San Pedro, yes.”

Marion Ali

“Are you satisfied that the test that you conducted here in your lab is accurate? That it is typhoid and not something else because the Central Lab told me this morning that they have no confirmed positive case of typhoid in Belize.”

Dr. Daniel Gonzalez

“I’m sure because of the symptoms of my patient and confirmed by the widal test which in most of these cases have been very high titers.”

Tamara Sniffin

“I did speak with the Health Department and they wanted to do stool samples on myself and other people who had been tested positive. Now by the time they tested me, I had already finished my treatment and I believe that some of the other people they wanted to test, they couldn’t because they were still under treatment. So, after they tested me I had already finished my treatment so I wasn’t positive after that as far as the stool was concerned.”

But typhoid can be prevented if people stay clear of fecal matter.

Tamara Sniffin

“I think people always need to take precaution measures in areas where there is a lot of open water which we have—not just the ocean, but lagoons and canals. It’s just very, very important to use good personal hygiene and it is important to know where your water source is coming from. Now the tap water on the island is totally clean. I mean it is tested every day as my understanding. But it is where you bathe. If you are not bathing in the ocean, if you are bathing in the lagoons or whatever, then there is a chance that you could become contaminated.”

Dr. Daniel Gonzalez

“The way that this infection is transmitted is from the feces of an infected patient. So in other words we need to wash our hands we need to be sure that the foods and waters are clean that we are ingesting. And in that we, we prevent it. So its always washing our hands every time we go to the bathroom. Another important thing also which our government should be doing is monitoring the vendors here because like I said, there is a lot of patients who are carriers, but do not present symptoms. And these patients are patients that are just transmitting the infection.”

According to Tamara Sniffin, she was made aware of eleven reported cases of typhoid in San Pedro over the past few weeks. Marion Ali for News Five.

has anybody heard more on the typhoid outbreak ?
was it a false alarm ? does anybody know someone who
tested positive ?
sure like to know more as we plan on comming down next month and
would like to be aware and of coarse prepared,,ty

Haven't seen or heard of any further reports - so no serious outbreak is occurring. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't be aware of such illnesses and try to be proactive to avoid exposure.

There are a wide number of diseases and illnesses that are endemic to this area - but thankfully epidemics are rare.

The latest outbreak I have heard of this week is the chicken pox.

ty very much amanda,:)