A case of typhoid in a student community and subsequent public health measures

Timely public health measures and close collaboration between the health authorities, physicians, the patient, and contacts can limit infection transmission, as the following report from Germany’s surveillance bulletin shows (1). A 23 year old Indian man arrived on 1 October 2001 in a small town in southern Germany to start a course of studies at a college for higher education. He shared his room with another Indian man; the other five rooms in the residence were occupied by 10 fellow students from different countries who attended one of two colleges.