DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2015.v03i09.056

Pages: 3418-3423

Introduction: Enteric fever is a common public health problem with variable clinical presentation. Typhoid fever is a waterborne and foodborne disease which predominantly affect the children. The incidence of typhoid fever peaks between 1yr to 15Yrs. Aim of the study: The knowledge of associated risk factors of typhoid fever will help to bring about rationale control strategies of the disease. Method: It was a hospital based prospective study conducted over a period of one year from January 2010 to December 2010 in the department of pediatrics, Ibrahim Iqbal Memorial Hospital Ltd (Affiliated by BGC Trust Medical College), Chittagong, Bangladesh. Results: A total of 285 patients were tested positive in which males were 149(52.3%) and females were 136(47.7%). The study shows that 68(23.86%) were in the group of 1-5 years of age, 133(46.67%) were in the range of 6 to 10 years, 84(29.47%) were in the range of 11 to 15 years old. Mean age of patients was 10.1±7.8 years. Common symptoms shown by patients who participated in the study included fever were 285(100%), fatigues were 190(66.67%), headache were 151(52.98%), Diarrhea were 58(20.35%) and anorexia were 110(38.60%). Complications were present in 23 patients, Acute Abdomen (Mesenteric lymphadenitis) was present in 10(3.51%) patients, Pneumonia was present in 5(1.75%) patients, Hepatitis was present in 3(1.05%) patients, Encephalopathy was present in 3(1.05%) patients and Osteomyelitis was seen in 2(0.70%).The most assessing risk factors typhoid fever Street vendors were 143(50.18%), then 73(25.61%) participants do not wash their hand properly when taking food and finally 69(24.21%) participants cannot maintained personal hygiene or sanitation. Conclusion: Water qualities have a great impact on the burden of typhoid fever among children. The identification of risk factors associated to the disease is of great importance in the development of rational control strategies of the disease.