The epidemiological, clinical and laboratory characteristics of typhoid fever outbreak in Sulaimani governorate during 2007-2008

Abstract EN

Background and objectives Sporadic cases of typhoid are frequently reported in Kurdistan Region, Iraq.

The disease, however, has always got the potentiality to occur in epidemic.

During years 2007-2008, an outbreak of Typhoid fever (T.F) had occurred in Sulaimani-Iraqi Kurdistan.

The aim of the study is to describe the epidemiological, clinical and laboratory characteristics of that outbreak in Sulaimani during that period.

Methods Three hundred and five patients were enrolled in the study.

All were admitted in the general teaching hospital of Sulaimani.

Full history, clinical Examination, Hematological, biochemical, abdominal ultrasound and blood culture and sensitivity were carried out.

Results Of the 305 patients, 207 of them had positive blood culture; the other 98 patients had negative blood cultures.

In blood culture positive group, 53.1% were females and 46.9 % were males.

Their age ranged between 12-57 years.

Blood cultures were positive in 67.1 %, 17.9 %, 15% for Salmonella typhi, S.paratyphi B and S.paratyphi A respectively.

All were sensitive to ceftriaxone and all were resistant to chloramphenicol.

Conclusions In this study we realized that T.F emerged as one of most common causes of febrile illnesses in Sulaimani during the years 2007-2008 due to an outbreak that affected the city specially the areas with poor sanitary conditions.

The clinical, epidemiological and antibiotics resistant patterns were almost similar (with minor differences) to those reported internationally especially the developing countries