Abstract

Typhoid fever is a major public health concern in tropical developing countries of which Nigeria is one, especially in areas where access to clean water and other sanitation measures are limited. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of typhoid fever among Gashua residents in Yobe State. The subjects are between the age ranges of 1 to 82 years with symptoms clinically suspected to be of typhoid fever visiting the General Hospital at Gashua, Yobe State. Informed consent of volunteers and guardians was obtained. Blood and stool samples from 197 patients were analyzed for typhoid fever infection using Widal test as a pretest and stool culture test as a confirmatory test respectively. Serotyping was performed using agglutination with Salmonella O, H and Vi antisera. An indication of infection was found from isolating Salmonella typhi. The total number of patients positive for typhoid fever was 55 (27.9%).