Physician flays Widal test for typhoid fever diagnosis, detection
Physician flays Widal test for typhoid fever diagnosis, detection
By Chinenye Offor
Typhoid
Abuja, Aug. 27, 2018 (NAN) Dr Emmanuel Ezenwa, a General Physician based in Abuja, has said that Widal test was not the best method for typhoid fever diagnosis and detection.
The physician therefore advised the public and hospitals to desist from using Widal test in the diagnosis and treatment of typhoid fever.
Ezenwa gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
He described Widal test as an outdated method, obsolete and inaccurate.
According to him, typhoid fever is mainly clinical which physical presentation and symptoms such as abdominal pain, fever and constipation can be used as a platform in diagnosing the condition by a medical doctor.
He emphasised that the best form of detecting typhoid required running a full blood count test and reading in relative nyphotosis.
Ezenwa further identified having a confirmatory test such as bone marrow aspiration culture, stool culture, urine culture was key in detecting typhoid fever in patients.
“If typhoid fever is suspected in a patient, medication should be given immediately because it is contracted through faecal contaminated foods, water, among others.
“Typhoid fever is not what you pick anyhow, it can be avoided if hygienic practices are adhered to such as making sure that the food to be eaten is cooked very well as well as drinking a clean water,” he said.
The physician therefore enjoined patients to desist from running Widal test, saying that it is not an accurate way for typhoid fever detection.
He added that: “Widal test tends to increase the traces of typhoid in the blood if the patient has been vaccinated against typhoid and because it is an antigen it would likely show traces of typhoid.” (NAN)
CSO/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola