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Epidemiology and control of an outbreak of typhoid in a psychiatric institution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

K. T. Goh ,
S. H. Teo ,
L. Tay  and
E. H. A. Monteiro
K. T. Goh
Affiliation:
Quarantine and Epidemiology Department, Ministry of the Environment, 40 Scotts Road, Singapore0922
S. H. Teo
Affiliation:
Woodbridge Hospital
L. Tay
Affiliation:
Department of Pathology, Singapore General Hospital
E. H. A. Monteiro
Affiliation:
Communicable Disease Centre, Tan Tock Seng Hospital
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Summary

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An outbreak of typhoid caused by Salmonella typhi of the same Vi-phage type (D1) and of the same antibiogram was reported in a large psychiatric institution in Singapore. A total of 95 (4·8%) of the 1965 inmates were infected, 47 with symptoms and 48 asymptomatic. Transmission was through close person-to-person contact and not through contaminated food or water. The source of infection could not be established. The outbreak was brought under control by maintaining a high standard of environmental sanitation, active search for fever and diarrhoeal cases, identification of asymptomatic cases by rectal swabbing, and isolation of those found to be infected. Mass immunization with two doses of heat-phenol inactivated typhoid vaccine was also carried out concurrently. The vaccine was found to have an efficacy of 65·8% in preventing clinical illness.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 108 , Issue 2 , April 1992 , pp. 221 - 230
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

References

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