AIBU to report neighbours for typhoid

[Cinders29]

Hi,

So long story our neighbours moved in about 2 years ago. They're extremely messy - huge pond and trampoline and god knows what in the front, back garden has rabbits, dogs and about 50 chickens. Food everywhere , loads of outbuildings and isn't 'stuff everywhere' anyway - no real problem to us ( apart from when we tried to sell our house )

However, we've noticed over the last couple of years an increase in rats ( we live near fields so expected but they're encouraging them ) there are 1000s of what I believe to be rat holes into his garden from the field next door. Weve also seen cockroaches.

Anyway, my son became very poorly a few weeks ago and was admitted to hospital for 4 days. Turns out he had typhoid which is ridiculous in this county right? Anyway with him being at home etc I just don't know where on Earth this could have come from.

Google says it comes from cockroaches - does anyone the likelihood of this please ? Also - if we suspect should we report ? I'll be so angry if it's come from there but I don't wanna just go around accusing when it could possibly have come from somewhere else

for travel

I've had them too for travel. But no-one is travelling now.

Typhoid in Britain?
Thank you ladies who are explaining it all.

@Madcatgirl when we had suspected scarlet fever (confirmed case in DC school) no body questioned us. I was told it was a viral rash and sent on my way. DH was offered antibiotics. DC recovered really quickly so there wasn’t much to see by the time we’d managed to get ahold of a healthcare professional.

I don’t know if others are missing @MeninSuits point that typhoid cases in the UK are published and there haven’t been any.
OP has said that they were called by Public Health England so I think we can assume our tale is set in England.
Poor OP must have just misunderstood what the doctors said.

Ok, I haven't missed what doctors have said .. they clearly haven't for whatever reason not updated the records. ( Bare in mind they only called me last Friday to discuss where I'd been etc ) as I've said, he has special needs I'm very well versed with doctors etc I know what to ask for and what to research etc - it's my speciality 😉

I'm fairness to the hospital. He was brought in with sickness, diarrhoea ( with a lot of blood like you ) I have a monitor at home as he's epileptic and heart rate was high and so was clearly becoming dehydrated ( the diarrhoea was so bad you just couldn't get enough in him to compensate what was coming out, I honestly have never seen diarrhoea like it ) but never in a million years would they suspect something like typhoid and baring in my mind were going through a pandemic where everything is bloody covid and we were on a busy covid ward , I really can't place any blame onto them re treatment whilst he was there however, agree I'm very discussed with the follow up and I shall be calling my doctors this morning to insist on stool samples ( for all of us ) and antibiotics for both my kids ( my 3 year old had a bout of diarrhoea and temp a couple weeks ago - luckily mild )

You live in UK? If typhoid was diagnosed by a doctor its a notifiable disease and you will be contacted by relevant authorities if you haven't been already. Extremely unlikely here.

Yes I live in the UK and yes, It was notified to public health England - as I've said above numerous times

This makes little sense op, you’ve spoken to doctors, public health England etc, but decided to ask the rentokill bloke and go with what he said ?

If PHE are already aware, who were you wanting go report your neighbours to for not giving your son typhoid?

Are PHE not following their guidance on outbreak management and tracing?
Has he had clearance yet?
Are others being vaccinated?
You haven’t travelled abroad? They must have forgotten to notify.

We've asked rentokil because other than asking us questions PHE have no given any advice or information and so I've had to do my own research and look back at possible ways he could contract it.

PHE have also said they will not be investigating neighbours and said if we wish to do so then we have to speak to our local EH department at the council.

Cherrypavola - is their protocol for clearance ? All they have done is asked if he's now ok - which he is and left it at that.
They have not suggested anyone be vaccinated. And no, we haven't been abroad for 3 years

There *

So is the consensus that this probably didn't come from our neighbours ? Cus that's my question really - If not that's fine but as you can appreciate it's such a rare illness that I know nothing about and when you're told cockroaches can spread it , and you have seen what you imagine to be a cockroach which would presumably have come from the shit tip next door - in my head it was option 🤷🏼‍♀️ would be extremely happy to be barking up the wrong tree as would not want their mess to be actually causing my family health issues.

@Cinders29 I need to apologise for my sarky comment up thread. MN rightly deleted it. I actually didn’t think we had typhoid in this country which is why I wrote it.

What a worry @Cinders29. I'm glad he's better now and glad that you haven't all got it.

I'm sorry some posters are trying to do the Mumsnet 'witch hunt' on you and trying to suggest you're making it up I've had that before on things and wonder what people think my motivation would be to make up that I'm a teacher or have 5 children etc etc!!

Take care

As far as I can see Typhoid HAS to be treated with antibiotics.

Are you ABSOLUTELY sure it was salmonella typhi not “just” salmonella. Salmonella doesn’t always require antibiotics.

This does remind me of a girl I was at school with... we were all terribly upset to be told she had leukaemia - then things started not adding up..... her Mum was adamant that the doctor had said she had leukaemia and that was what she was being treated for... we persuaded our friend that it didn’t seem right (this was to mid eighties so no google) and got her to speak to the doctor alone...... doctor was horrified that mum had misheard/understood the diagnosis of ANAEMIA! Mum was genuinely relieved as she genuinely thought her daughter was seriously ill (not being rude but the mum was very uneducated, barely literate etc. but wanted better for her daughter who was then at grammar school).

Typhoid is caused my ingesting fecal matter, so either your son has unclean hands or someone who prepared food for him had unclean hands/crockery/utensils had fecal matter on them. It transfers in a similar way to worms.

It can also be caused by eating shellfish or fruit/veg/salad that have been fertilised with human washed and not washed appropriately.

Adults often only have a cough, constipation or a headache when they have typhoid.

When did the rest of the family have their typhoid test? People can be longterm carriers, so you all need to have three stool samples after treatment has been completed to check for bacteria. If anyone does still have it you get a 28 day course of antibiotics.

I’ve had it, most likely caught in south america, my only symptom was a high temperature.

Excellent persistence.
There are no recent notifications of typhoid in U.K.. Last six months are all people with travel to endemic regions.

OP do you live in Coventry?

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/two-primary-pupils-contract-typhoid-21661112.amp

To be fair I would probably report your neighbours for the rats and cockroaches regardless of whether it was the cause. I wouldn't want to wait for them to be all over my property and my child or family catch something from them before doing so.

Right - I'll repeat again !!!! It was 100000% salmonella typhi ( typhoid ) I haven't misheard nor am I persisting with something I've gotten wrong or 'made up ' if their not showing new cases it's either they haven't yet updated the records or they haven't noted it down for whatever reason 🤷🏼‍♀️ it most certainly isn't because I've misunderstood- Jesus!!! Why on earth would I keep insisting it was unless it actually was?

And no we are not in Coventry ( next county along ) and he was admitted to hospital on the 2nd of May so that isn't us - no

Well that article says 500 cases in the U.K. each year.
One of them in Coventry.
So the table may not have caught up yet.

Have the rest of the family had the results if their stool samples back yet?

If you haven’t already you need to clean your whole home with bleach placed products, including any outdoor equipment and the car interior.

It's pretty obvious to me that the op is genuine, I really can't understand why people would persist with their snarky posts and their research into how many ceases of typhoid have been reported in the U.K. recently.

Op, sounds like an awful experience, thank goodness your son is on the mend. I definitely think you're doing the right thing in seeking further medical advice regarding whether antibiotics are needed.