hyderabad as the summer heat intensifies the incidence of typhoid cases is on the rise in telangana a recent report from the centre covering the past two years indicates a growth in the percentage of enteric fevers typhoid in the state which has escalated from 17 to 23according to the health management information system hmis report released by the ministry of health and family welfare telangana ranks fourth in the country in terms of typhoid cases following manipur nagaland and bihar where over 25 of cases have been reported the national average for typhoid positivity rate stands at 127 as per the studyvarious tests are available for detecting typhoid fever including stool culture and bone marrow tests but the most commonly used test is the widal this test detects the presence of antibodies produced by the body in response to the salmonella bacteria during a typhoid infectionthe widal test slide agglutination helps in detecting typhoid fever and paratyphoid fever collectively known as enteric fever typhoid fever is caused by microorganisms like salmonella typhi and salmonella paratyphi a b and c the salmonella bacteria affect the digestive system when contaminated food or water containing faecal matter is consumed the report statedexperts warn that timely treatment is crucial as typhoid fever can be lifethreatening we frequently see typhoid cases in slum areas and the cases usually increase during the summer and monsoon seasons throughout the city this is due to limited access to safe drinking water said a medical officer from an urban primary health centre in hitec city