Hi picard120,

The BBC news story was interesting, but there is no typhoid problem in the UK. The story relates to how increasing numbers of people who have been infected whilst visiting countries where typhoid is a more common problem. The increase in numbers is mainly due to low cost airline flights to more exotic countries and the way the British are willing to take unnecessary risks to go to these exotic countries without taking the appropriate precautions against being infected.

These countries would be in sub Saharan Africa, Indian sub continent and parts of South East Asia where there are high densities of people in poor sanitary conditions. i.e. very poor developing countries where the plumbing and sewerage services are virtually non existent. The story is to make people aware that typhoid is a preventable disease, which can be vaccinated against, unlike paratyphoid.

Washing your hands instead of wearing gloves makes sense, but again this can prove to be difficult if there is no water taps or sewage disposal i.e. very little in the way of plumbing. In many developing countries clean water is a very precious commodity.

I guess we take for granted services such clean running water at the tap, electricity, communications and transportation, consumerism etc but there is a downside. As millions die from simple preventable poverty related illness in developing countries such as typhoid, malaria, hunger etc there are millions dying from simple preventable wealth related illnesses such as obesity, vascular disease, asthma, diabetes cancer, hospital infections, cars etc.

According to the World Health Organisation, the 10 leading causes of death in 2002 were:

1. 12.6% Ischaemic heart disease
2. 9.7% Cerebrovascular disease
3. 6.8% Lower respiratory infections
4. 4.9% HIV/AIDS
5. 4.8% Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
6. 3.2% Diarrhoeal diseases
7. 2.7% Tuberculosis
8. 2.2% Malaria
9. 2.2% Trachea/bronchus/lung cancers
10. 2.1% Road traffic accidents