Identification of Risk Factors for Typhoid Fever in Children Admitted in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Enteric fever remains a major public health problem in developing countries like Bangladesh. Improvement in the health facility, vaccination, and health-related awareness program the incidence of enteric fever among children is not decreased. The study aimed to find out the risk factors for enteric fever in hospitalized children in a tertiary care hospital. Methodology: We conducted a hospital-based case-control study to identify the risk factors in children residing in Dhaka city. We enrolled 50 enteric fever cases as a case group and 50 age-matched febrile patients as a control group. Result: Out of 50 cases, 2 patients were below one year and most of them were pre-school aged 26(52%). Univariate analysis showed that enteric fever is more who take food with the help of the mother and caregiver (OR=7.1); 95% CI= 26.7 -61.3) and never or rarely wash hands before preparing food and before feeding (OR= 5.7; 95% CI= 23.2 -52.8). Cases were eating outdoors at the mobile food vendors and consuming ice-cream regularly (OR=2.28; 95% CI=1- 39) whereas the control group also took street food but less frequently. Conclusion: Enteric fever is an exclusive food and water-borne systemic disease and one of the major public health problems in Bangladesh. Not only overcrowding, unsafe drinking water are the common risk factors but also hand washing both children and caregiver, poor food habit is the important risk factors. So, health education to children and food handlers may reduce the incidence of enteric fever in children.