Do mosquito bites cause typhoid fever?

Enter “Ask The Doctor”

What’s the cause of my constant malaria and typhoid?

I’m a 35 year-old lady and fashion designer in Lagos. My problem is that I suffer from malaria and typhoid at least twice a month.  I have a nurse who treats me regularly with injections. I can’t afford to be going to the hospital because this will cost me a lot of money. The nurse advises that I keep my house free of mosquitoes which I try to do but I still fall sick all the time. Doctor do mosquito bites also cause typhoid? Are there preventive drugs I can take?

Nneka, Lagos

Dr. Okon says:

Dear Nneka,

Please how did you confirm you have Malaria and Typhoid? Do you run Lab tests every 2 weeks?

There is oral treatment of malaria which is cheaper and safer than taking injections (outside an accredited Health Facility). Same for Typhoid, once you’ve confirmed the diagnosis.

It’s good to ensure you have a proper diagnosis by having a proper check in a hospital because at the end of the day, you may even end up spending more going round in circles and not getting the exact “root cause” of the symptoms you are having.

Mosquito bites do not transmit typhoid, it is spread by Salmonella Typhi in contaminated food and/or water.

Cheers

Ime.

Dear Doctor,

Is this cancer?

I’m a 30 year-old factory worker in a cement company. For some time now, I’ve developed a mild cough which does not seem to respond to any of the cough mixtures in the market. I’ve not bothered to go to the company clinic yet because it’s really not so serious. But I’ve noticed since two weeks ago that I seem to have chest pain whenever I’m coughing. My friend said maybe I’m developing cancer because of the nature of my work. Doctor is this possible? Can I start taking antibiotics now before it gets worse? Looking forward to your kind response.

J.A.O, Ogun State

Dr. Okon says

Hello J.A.O,

Thank you for not keeping your health observations to yourself. The symptoms you have mentioned are not sufficient to quickly summarize and make a diagnosis of Cancer. It’s good to check with your company clinic, so a medical doctor can appropriately evaluate you, she/he may observe even more than what you’ve complained of, enough to make a substantive diagnosis. Cough and Chest pain are symptoms that can point to myriads of diseases, not only Cancer.

Please avoid indiscriminate use of antibiotics, to avoid Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), so we don’t wake up one day and find that our antibiotics are no longer working!

Stay safe.

Ime