Calgary school taking precautions after student confirmed to have typhoid fever

Cleaners are getting to work at a Calgary school after it was confirmed a student had a case of typhoid fever.

According to Dr. Jia Hu, medical officer of health for the Calgary zone, the student of McKenzie Towne School had recently travelled outside the country.

The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) sent a notice to parents on Monday saying the school and yellow school buses are “undergoing some additional cleaning and sanitization of surfaces.”

Alberta Health Services (AHS) said parents shouldn’t worry.

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“The bottom line is that case was not infectious while in school and the risk to the public is really low,” Hu said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The bottom line is that case was not infectious while in school and the risk to the public is really low," Hu said.

Hu couldn’t say where the student travelled or how the child is doing. He said AHS was told about the case earlier this week.

According to the government of Canada, typhoid fever is caused by a type of salmonella bacteria. It can be spread through ingesting food or drink contaminated with the bacteria or through contact with the feces of an infected person.

Symptoms of typhoid fever typically take eight to 14 days to become evident and can include fever, cough, diarrhea, tiredness, headache, appetite loss, constipation and/or a rash of flat, rose-coloured spots on the chest or abdomen.

Anyone who thinks they may have symptoms of typhoid fever is encouraged to contact their health provider.

Hu said AHS wasn’t aware of any further transmission of the case or any other cases in the province. He said almost all cases of typhoid fever in Alberta are travel-related.