Outbreak of typhoid on Dutch ship traced to destructive drinking water

A substantial outbreak of typhoid on a ship within the Netherlands has been traced to destructive water, this One year’s European Congress of Scientific Microbiology & Infectious Illnesses (ECCMID 2023, Copenhagen, April 15-18) will hear.

Seventy-two cases of typhoid were confirmed within the spring 2022 outbreak on the Liberty Ann, an dilapidated cruise ship which used to be being outdated as emergency lodging in Haarlem for asylum seekers.

An intensive investigation by the Municipal Smartly being Service Kennemerland and the Regional Public Smartly being Laboratory Kennemerland and others has traced the source of the outbreak to the water tanks on the ship.

A form of main the investigation, Dr. Anne de Vries, of the Municipal Smartly being Service Kennemerland, Haarlem, the Netherlands, says, “The freshwater and wastewater tanks shared a general wall which used to be severely corroded, with small holes. This allowed sewage containing Salmonella typhi (S. typhi), the bacterium which causes typhoid fever, to leak into the new water which used to be then outdated as drinking water and to put collectively meals.”

Typhoid, which is unfold by meals and water destructive with S. typhi, is extremely contagious. When handled promptly with antibiotics, the infection is on the full at ease nonetheless with out therapy, it can also moreover be fatal. Indicators encompass a high temperature, headache, abdominal anguish and constipation or diarrhea.

On April 6, 2022, the municipal health carrier in Kennemerland used to be notified about an ongoing outbreak of fever and abdominal complaints on the Liberty Ann.

Typhoid fever used to be lickety-split diagnosed and withhold an eye on measures were set in topic to prevent further unfold. Bottled water used to be offered, meals preparation on the ship halted and the full asylum seekers were moved to varied lodging.

349 americans had potentially been exposed to the bacterium and 72 cases of typhoid were confirmed by tradition amongst asylum seekers (50/72) and workers (20/72) between April 7 and Might per chance perchance merely 24.

All cases were in adults. All of the asylum seekers, and so much of the staff individuals, were male. All cases were in those that had been on the ship.

Twenty-5 americans were hospitalized and all recovered after therapy.

The Municipal Smartly being Service visited the ship six times to manufacture microbiological investigations and technical inspections. To title the source of the outbreak and mode of transmission, all asylum seekers and workers individuals were requested to complete a questionnaire about their consumption of faucet water and meals on the ship. They were moreover requested to provide fecal and blood samples.

Frequent consumption of meals and faucet water on the ship used to be connected to developing typhoid.

Tests on S. typhi cultured from the cases’ blood or feces confirmed all samples to be genetically the same—pointing to a general source of infection.

S. typhi used to be detected within the wastewater tank and Salmonella within the freshwater tanks, which shared a severely corroded general wall.

The stumble on’s authors attain, “A substantial outbreak of typhoid fever within the Netherlands used to be ended in by sewage water containing S. typhi leaking exact into a freshwater tank.”

“Strict supervision of water quality is foremost to the health and security of these on board ships. Water tanks and connected tools must be neatly maintained and topic to odd inspections.”

Equipped by
European Society of Scientific Microbiology and Infectious Illnesses