Typhoid fever

Typhoid fever in itself is not a disease well known by history. Typhoid fever played only a small part in the history of the human race and compared to other diseases comes across as more of a nuisance with exception to its role in the Plague of Athens. On the surface, “enteric fever” causes a small but common array of symptoms: fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, chills, muscle aches and skin rash. The cause of the disease is salmonella typhi, a bacterium that rides contaminated food and water before establishing pathogenic residence in the human gastro-intestinal tract. Although the disease isn’t as prominent (or ever was), it still impacted our world in a few interesting ways. In the year 2000, over 20 million people were afflicted…

Bacteria and Typhoid Fever Bacteria are a single cell organism also known as a Prokaryote that have been around longer than Archaea and Eukarya. Bacteria appeared on Earth 4 billion years ago and are said to be the first forms of life (Nordqvist). The cell of bacterium does not have a nucleus and is without membrane-bound organelle. Bacteria can be rod, sphered or spiral shaped. Bacteria are the most plentiful organism on Earth; as well as being the most various. Humans and plants could not…

Typhoid Fever In the world today, there are many diseases considered as fatal. Some of these diseases are caused by microorganisms called bacteria. More than 200 bacterial diseases are transmitted through eating and drinking. One of these common waterborne and foodborne diseases is Typhoid Fever. Studies conducted in America shows that about 400 cases occur each year, 75% comes from international travelers. Moreover, about 2.5 million cases happen yearly all over the world (1&4). This disease…

Mary Mallon, known as “Typhoid Mary,” was an Irish maid in New York from the early 1900s, and was known for spreading Typhoid. At the time, Mary was a cook and a typhoid carrier, and with that she exposed many people to typhoid, by “shedding” typhoid and infecting others, as she handled and prepared food (Leavitt, 2004). Mary was just going about her daily business, and didn't know at first that she even was a carrier of Typhoid. I feel Mary was treated horribly, by isolating her on an island,…

TYPHOID FEVER: AN URBAN SCOURGE Typhoid fever is caused by infection with Salmonella typhi, a bacterial pathogen of humans. Typhoid bacteria are transmitted when people ingest contaminated food or water, or when contaminated sewage gets into water used for drinking or washing food. In the body, S. typhi inhabits the intestines and is shed in the feces. If the shedder doesn’t practice good hygiene, such as washing the hands after using the toilet and before handling food, he or she can spread…

that are contaminated will look no different than the food that are not contaminated. Salmonella germs are resilient in the environment. Salmonella can last 5-6 months in dirty water and feces. Salmonella reproduce at room temperatures in damp environments. Infection occurs when a person eats contaminated food or drinks infected water. The Salmonella invades the intestinal wall, where inflammation begins. The Salmonella also starts producing irritating intestinal toxins. In a few cases, the…

Robert. "Public Health and Medical Ethics in Epidemics." Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society, issues.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1811724?terms=Typhoid%20Fever&webSiteCode=SLN_ISS&returnToPage=%2fSearch%2fDisplay%2f1811724%3fterms%3dTyphoid+Fever&sType=quick&token=0100FFF45ECC09E6889D6BAAE9E615C9&casError=False. Accessed 23 Oct. 2016. This article discusses the ethical implications of public health scenarios. Although the article doesn't directly mention Mary Mallon, it highlights very…

Have you ever read Romeo and Juliet? We read it when I was in the 9th grade, while it was complicated to understand the language in the story; it was a very good story. My English teacher was able to help me understand the language that William Shakespeare used. I was not the only person that struggled with the language in the story. In the story “Typhoid Fever” by Frank McCourt the characters are quarantined in a fever hospital ran by the Catholic Church. While in the hospital they recite…

In Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, the Athenians are struck with a horrible plague, which is most likely typhoid fever. The symptoms are terrible; people experience “...burning feelings in the head...[bleeding] inside their mouths...attacks of ineffectual retching...[and] small pustules and ulcers.” The disease is so contagious that whoever comes into contact with the sick dies soon after. Family members who try to help each other almost certainly end up dead alongside each other.…

Mary Mallon is a Villain because she didn’t wash her hands, she became a cook again when she wasn’t supposed to be a cook, and she infected many families and even people who worked at a hospital. In the article it says that Mary Mallon never washed her hands and she even admitted that she didn’t wash her hands because she thought she saw no need to do so. This proves Mary Mallon is a villain because by not washing her hands, she infected many people with Typhoid. By having a bad hygiene Mary…