A 53-year-old man was hospitalized in a state of septic shock and multiple organ failure due to infection with Salmonella Typhi bacteria after a meal containing frog and duck meat.
On November 25, a representative of Bac Ninh Provincial General Hospital No. 1 said the patient was in critical condition. Previously, the patient was transferred from the Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology to the Department of Intensive Care – Poison Control in a state of low blood pressure, continuous high fever and severe abdominal pain.
Doctors diagnosed the patient with septic shock and multi-organ failure and prescribed continuous dialysis combined with broad-spectrum antibiotics. Blood culture test results determined that the patient was positive for Salmonella Typhi bacteria – the causative agent of typhoid. Immediately, the patient was transferred to the isolation area for treatment and infection prevention.
Doctor treating patient. Image: Hospital provided
Taking medical history, family members said that about 4 days before admission, the patient went to a restaurant with a menu including frog meat, duck and beer. That same evening, he began to have loose stools. The digestive disorder gradually worsened with high fevers that did not subside, forcing the family to take him to the emergency room.
Typhoid is an acute infectious disease transmitted through the gastrointestinal tract caused by the bacteria Salmonella Typhi. The disease often begins due to eating undercooked contaminated food or water sources or direct contact with waste or utensils of people carrying the disease.
According to doctors, typhoid bacteria are resilient, surviving for 2-3 weeks in water and up to 2-3 months in feces or ice. The average incubation period is 8-14 days depending on the amount of bacteria invading. Typical symptoms include prolonged high fever, headache, fatigue, digestive disorders (constipation or diarrhea), sometimes gastrointestinal bleeding or rash. In severe cases, patients can become delirious, hallucinate and die if not promptly intervened.
Notably, even after clinical symptoms have disappeared, the patient can still excrete bacteria into the environment for the next 2-3 weeks, creating a risk of spreading to the community.
To prevent disease, doctors recommend that people strictly practice food hygiene and safety: eat cooked food, drink boiled water; wash hands regularly with soap; Store raw and cooked foods separately. Collective kitchens and food businesses need to strictly follow processing procedures to avoid the risk of outbreaks.