Health officials are reporting an typhoid outbreak in the city of Gandhinagar, Gujarat state on the west coast of India.
Typhoid cases have been increasing in the Civil Hospital in the last three days, with dozens of patients admitted to the pediatric ward and more than 100 total cases reported.
The outbreak is linked contamination of drinking water due to ongoing drainage repair work.
People have been advised to drink boiled water and eat home-cooked food. The civic body is also distributing chlorine tablets for cleaning of water tanks.
This comes at a time when residents of Indore, which is recognised as one of the cleanest cities in the country, began falling ill after consuming contaminated water supplied to Bhagirathpura, a densely populated locality now grappling with an acute diarrhea outbreak that has claimed at least 10 lives and led to over 200 hospitalizations.
Typhoid fever is a serious disease caused by Salmonella Typhi (Typhi) bacteria. The bacteria spread through contaminated food and water and person-to-person contact.
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Symptoms of typhoid fever include high fever, weakness, stomach pain, headache, constipation or diarrhea, cough, and loss of appetite. Typhoid fever can be fatal without appropriate antibiotic treatment.
Typhoid risk is higher in populations that lack access to safe water and adequate sanitation, and children are at highest risk.
Typhoid fever is common in places with poor sanitation and a lack of safe drinking water. Access to safe water and adequate sanitation, hygiene among food handlers and typhoid vaccination are all effective in preventing typhoid fever.