Sask. doctor explains typhoid fever after possible Martensville exposure

A Saskatoon doctor is shedding some more light on what exactly typhoid fever is and how it could’ve possibly ended up at the Domino’s Pizza in Martensville.

Dr. Joseph Blondeau, head of clinical microbiology at Royal University Hospital and the provincial lead for clinical microbiology with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), says there are many symptoms that could be associated with typhoid fever.

“If you have a high fever and it seems to be not going away, if you’re fatigued, if you have a headache, nausea, abdominal pain, if you’re feeling really sick and you have a high fever, then certainly you should probably seek medical attention,” said Blondeau.

The SHA said the exposure happened between Oct. 11 and 19.

According to the SHA, typhoid fever is a serious illness and can take between three to 60 days before symptoms are shown. However, it is more common for symptoms to show up eight to 14 days after being exposed.

The SHA did not say where the case of typhoid fever could’ve originated from, other than the fact that it can be spread through eating food or water contaminated with the bacteria.

Blondeau is suggesting it could’ve possibly been brought to Saskatchewan by someone who was travelling abroad as well.

“One (way) is either through people who have immigrated to this country or refugees, but often it may be related to travellers,” he explained.

“Somebody that has travelled to a part of the world where this organism is more endemic may become colonized or infected with this organism then come back, and then they serve as a reservoir for transmission … to both the environment and perhaps to other people as well.”

While the SHA has issued a warning, Blondeau said the chances of transmission for something like typhoid fever is not very high.

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“The chances of transmission are probably not as high as we could be fearful of,” he said.

Anyone with symptoms who was exposed is asked to call 811.

If you’re not feeling any symptoms, Blondeau recommends you just watch for any.

“If you’re asymptomatic, it would be pretty hard for anybody to be worried about it, because they don’t have any signs or symptoms suggested that they’re infected. On the other hand you happen to be at this establishment during this time period and you think you might have been exposed then the best thing to do is to watch and wait to see whether or not any symptoms develop,” he explained.

“It’s also important to make sure that you’re practicing good hygiene, to make sure that you’re doing good hand washing before and after … processing food, going to the washroom, interacting with others, just to make sure that if you happen to be exposed and are asymptomatic, that you yourself don’t transmit to other people,” Blondeau added.

Blondeau said the infection is treatable with antibiotics.