Typhoid Fever: Pakistan's Unique Challenges and Pragmatic Solutions

Typhoid fever is a life-threatening disease caused by gram-negative bacteria Salmonella enteric serotype Typhi. Every year, this disease affects almost 21 million people worldwide, the majority of whom are from South Asia. According to the WHO, almost 11 to 21 million cases of typhoid fever and about 200,000 deaths from typhoid fever occurred all over the world. Pakistan health authorities have confirmed that from 2016 to 2020, almost 22,354 cases of typhoid fever were reported, out of which 15,717 cases were extensive drug-resistant typhoid fever reported from the different regions of Sindh. These calculations are used to measure the disease rate of typhoid fever, ratio is about 15.5/1,000, and the XDR strain of typhoid fever is highly resistant to the antibiotic, also known as extensive drug resistance. The diagnosis of typhoid fever is done by culture tests, serological test, nucleic acid assays, protein markers, and biomarkers. The proper diagnosis is very important to ensure the strain of typhoid fever, so treatment should be started accordingly.