True about maximum isolation period of enteric fever:

Ans. (a) Till three consecutive negative urine/stool culture samples are obtained from patient Control of Typhoid Fever Lontrol of reservoir: Reservoir may be case or carrier: A. Cases: Early diagnosis and treatment: With early diagnosis and treatment, carrier stage can be prevented. Isolation: Owing to the infectious nature of typhoid fever, cases should be isolated till three bacteriologically negative stools and urine repos are obtained on three separate days. Disinfection: Stools and urine are sole source of infection. They should be received in closed containers and disinfected with 5% cresol for at least 2 hours. All solid clothes and linen should be soaked in a solution of 2% chlorine and steam sterilized. All the medical and paramedical person should disinfect their hands. Follow-up: Follow up examination of stool and urine should be done 3-4 months after discharge of patient and again after 12 months to prevent the development of carrier stage. B. Carriers Identification: Culture of duodenal drainage establishes the presence of Salmonella in the biliary tract in carriers. The Vi antibody is seen in up to 80% of carriers. Treatment: Ampicillin or amoxycillin (4-6 g a day) together with probenecid can achieve eradication of carrier stage in about 70%. Cholecystectomy with concomitant ampicillin therapy is the most successful approach for treatment of carriers. Surveillance: The carriers should be kept under surveillance and are prevented from handling food, milk for others. Control of Sanitation: The weakest link in the chain of transmission is sanitation which can be achieved easily Protection and purification of drinking water supplies, improvement of basic sanitation and promotion of food hygiene are essential measures of controlling typhoid. Immunization: Immunization does not give 100% protection, but it definitely lowers both the incidence and seriousness of infection.