Health officials in Pakistan have reported an ongoing outbreak of XDR typhoid fever(extended drug resistant typhoid fever) that began in Hyderabad in November 2016. This strain of XDR typhoid doesn’t respond to most antibiotics used to treat typhoid fever. This outbreak has reached in most parts of Punjab also including Lahore. In my daily clinical practice, i am witnessing increasing number of such cases who are proven on blood cultures also. It’s very important for the parents to be well aware of this problem and their children should get vaccinated against typhoid fever. Typhoid vaccination starts by age of 2 years and it is repeated after every 3 years later. Important precautionary measures include frequent hand washing, avoiding untreated drinking water, avoiding raw fruits and vegetables, avoiding undercooked food, taking good sanitary measures and avoiding self medications.
