Typhoid is Endemic in Malaysia

Typhoid is Endemic in Malaysia
May 29, 2023 Editorial Reszon

Typhoid, also known as deman kepialu by Malaysian is caused by Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhi (previously Salmonella typhi). Humans are the only reservoir of S. Typhi. Transmission is via the ingestion of faecally contaminated food or water. In Malaysia, typhoid is among the food and water borne diseases besides cholera, food poisoning, hepatitis A and dysentery which are notifiable under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 342.[1]

Typhoid is endemic in Malaysia with an average incidence rate of 0.76 per 100 000 population reported annually in recent years (2014-2019). The incidence rate was 0.53 per 100,000 populations in 2018. In 2022, the Ministry of Health (MOH) recorded 90 typhoid cases especially from Selangor, Sabah, and Kelantan. [2]

Why Typhoid is dangerous? [3]

Typhoid infection can cause sustained high fever up to 40 °Celsius, diarrhoea, and vomiting. A sustained fever is a fever that does not come and go. It can be life threatening if a person does not have early treatment with antibiotics.

Who is at risk? [3]
• Typhoid fever is most prevalent in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.
• People who live or work in or travel to places where typhoid infections are common are at risk of contracting the bacterium.
• In the U.S., there are about 500 cases of typhoid fever per year, and more than half of these come from infections people contracted abroad.

Early detection of typhoid with rapid test kit is essential to help medical professionals to diagnose and enable patients to gain access to proper medical care. At Reszon, we offer Reszon Typhoid Rapid Test Kits series to assist healthcare institutions, laboratories, and medical offices in point-of-care decision-making.

Reszon Typhoid Rapid lgM Test Kit and Reszon Typhoid Rapid lgG/lgM (Combo) Test Kit are immunochromatographic assays designed for the qualitative detection of Typhoid fever. Reszon Typhoid Rapid IgM Test Kit is designed to detect specific IgM antibodies against a specific Salmonella typhi OMP antigen in human serum, plasma, or whole blood specimens. Reszon Typhoid Rapid lgG/lgM (Combo) Test Kit is intended for qualitative detection and differentiation of specific IgM and IgG antibodies against specific Salmonella typhi OMP antigens in human serum or plasma specimens.

Both test kits are available in the packing size of 25 tests per kit and are intended to be used by a medical professional for early diagnosis of Typhoid fever.

References:

1. MSIDC (2023) Guidelines for Adult Immunisation: Typhoid. Accessed on 23 May 2023.
2. Farah Marshita Abdul Patah (2023) Kes typhoid rintang antibiotik meningkat. Bharian. Accessed on 23 May 2023
3. Meredith Goodwin (2023) What you need to know about typhoid, MedicalNewsToday. Accessed on 15 May 2023