ISLAMABAD: New extensively drug-resistant variants of an Ancient and deadly disease – typhoid fever – are spreading across international borders. Cases have been reported in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Iraq, Guatemala, UK, US, and Germany, as well as more recently in Australia and Canada, reports foreign media. In recent years, drug resistant and travel-associated typhoid variants have also been spreading through the African continent. Under-reporting and international surveillance gaps mean that drug-resistant typhoid is probably even more extensive than we think.The rapid rise of increasingly difficult to treat typhoid is a very worrying prospect. During an age of unparalleled international trade and travel, it is inevitable that any regional rise of antibiotic resistance will have global knock-on effects.In Europe, Australia and North America isolated extensively drug-resistant variants (or XDR strains) were travel-related. Travellers had become infected while visiting Pakistan, where a large-scale outbreak of XDR typhoid is ongoing. Having caused at least 5,274 cases in the Sindh province since 2016, the Pakistani XDR strain is proving resistant to all commonly available antibiotics except for one: azithromycin.The coming years will likely see further travel-related resistant cases occur throughout the world.Killer of paupers and kingsGenomic analysis and archaeological evidence makes it clear that the disease has been circulating in human populations for millennia.While we cannot make accurate retrospective diagnoses using written sources alone, typhoid has been referenced as the mysterious killer of princes, presidents and paupers around the world. Typhoid was also a renowned scourge of armies and war.
11-03-2019, 09:18 AM
Ancient disease triggers global health alarm
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