What public health measures should be taken for patients diagnosed with typhoid fever to prevent outbreaks?

Public health measures for patients diagnosed with typhoid fever to prevent outbreaks include prompt case identification and notification to public health authorities to enable timely outbreak control and contact tracing ¹. Patients should be advised on strict personal hygiene practices, especially thorough handwashing with soap after using the toilet and before handling food, to reduce faecal-oral transmission ¹. Isolation or exclusion from food handling and healthcare work until confirmed non-infectious is essential to prevent spread in community and institutional settings ¹. Environmental sanitation measures, including safe disposal of human waste and ensuring access to clean water, are critical to interrupt transmission chains (Mukhopadhyay et al., 2019). Health education campaigns targeting patients and their contacts should emphasise the importance of hygiene and safe food and water consumption (Amicizia et al., 2019). Screening and treatment of asymptomatic carriers, particularly food handlers, may be necessary to prevent ongoing transmission ¹. Antimicrobial stewardship is important to reduce resistance development, ensuring appropriate antibiotic use guided by susceptibility testing ¹. Vaccination strategies may be considered in endemic areas or for close contacts to reduce outbreak risk (Amicizia et al., 2019). Together, these integrated measures form a comprehensive public health response to control typhoid fever outbreaks effectively.