Massachusetts

Quincy Day Care Closed After Child Diagnosed With Typhoid Fever

A day care center in Quincy, Massachusetts, is temporarily closed after a child was diagnosed with typhoid fever.

One child at the Bright Horizons day care and preschool at 1 Enterprise Drive in North Quincy has been diagnosed with the disease, according to the state Department of Public Health.

A spokesperson for Bright Horizons said the day care was notified about the diagnosis on Tuesday and was closed Wednesday. It remains closed on Thursday and it is unclear if it will reopen on Friday.

Day care officials don't believe the child contracted the disease at Bright Horizons, as the child recently traveled abroad. But since it is food and water borne, they are taking every precaution.

Teachers are being tested to make sure they don't have the disease. Students who are in the class with the infected child will not be allowed to come back without being tested.

"It is concerning, but they did send us emails with the details of what to look out for and all that," said Hala Abdel-Baky, whose daughter attends day care at Bright Horizons in North Quincy. "She seems fine to me right now, but they did say it shows up a week later or something like that."

According to the CDC, typhoid fever is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by salmonella typhi bacteria. It causes a high fever, fatigue, weakness, stomach pains, headache, loss of appetite and sometimes a rash.

If left untreated, it can kill up to 30 percent of people who get it. An estimated 5,700 cases occur each year in the U.S. Most are acquired while traveling internationally.

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