Typhoid fever below five years

During a seven year period (1981-87), 53 cases of typhoid fever in children below five years were seen. This accounted for 13.5% of all typhoid admission in pediatrics during the above period. Predominant symptoms were fever (100%), vomiting (52.8%), diarrhea (30.2%) and anorexia (24.5%). Chills and rigor associated with fever was noticed in 38% of the children. Salmonella typhi was isolated from blood in 22 of 53 (41.7%) cases. A significant finding on peripheral smear was eosinopenia (86.8%). Complications like endotoxic shock, enteric encephalopathy and gastrointestinal hemorrhage were noticed in only few cases (7.6%). There were no deaths.