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Typhoid Fever in Italy, 2000-2006
Caterina Rizzo1, Marilina Santantonio, Maria Francesca Coscia
1National Center for Epidemiology Surveillance and Health Promotion, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 299 00169 - Rome, Italy. caterina.rizzo@iss.it
Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
|September 12, 2009
Summary
Typhoid fever incidence in Apulia, Italy, significantly decreased from 2000 to 2006. Improvements in fish depuration and sewage management contributed to this decline, despite ongoing endemicity.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Disease Surveillance
- Public Health
Background:
- Typhoid fever persists as an endemic disease in the Apulia region of southern Italy.
- This study investigates the reasons for its persistence despite enhanced environmental and public health initiatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the trends of typhoid fever in Apulia between 2000 and 2006.
- To identify factors contributing to the observed changes in typhoid fever incidence.
Main Methods:
- Utilized mandatory infectious disease surveillance data for the Apulia region, Italy.
- Collected morbidity data for typhoid fever from 2000 to 2006.
Main Results:
- A substantial reduction in notified typhoid fever cases was observed, decreasing from approximately 1.1 to 0.4 per 100,000 population.
- Typhoid fever rates in Apulia remained higher than national averages during the study period.
Conclusions:
- Improvements in environmental and public health measures, specifically raw fish depuration and reduced sewage discharge into the sea, correlated with a sharp decline in typhoid fever.
- These interventions appear to be key factors in reducing typhoid fever incidence in southern Italy.
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