The typhoid fever, caused by Salmonella Typhi, is a life threatening illness that causes around 5,700 cases per year. Most cases come about from travelers coming back to the United States from traveling internationally because many other countries did not have the same vaccines as the United States had during this time. In the early 1900’s, a woman named Mary Mallon, also known as Typhoid Mary, worked as a cook for different families. Mary was a healthy female, or so they thought. She carried the typhoid fever virus unknowingly and was asymptomatic. A short time after she had started working for the families that she served, a few of the members fell ill of the typhoid fever. After this incident, Mary was investigated and health officials found many …show more content…
She was then forced into quarantine, twice, against her will to prevent the spread and transmission to others around her because she was considered a dangerous individual and did not care to change her lifestyle. She was known to have a temper and was looked upon differently than other females because of her status as an Irish immigrant cook and not having a family. The exiling and quarantining of Mary Mallon was just and necessary to prevent the spread of the typhoid fever virus to others because she was noncompliant, uneducated, and ignorant.
Mary Mallon, also known as Typhoid Mary, was the first known healthy carrier of the typhoid fever disease. A healthy carrier is defined as one who has the typhoid virus in their system, but is asymptomatic. The human intestine is the reservoir of the virus, and it is spread through urine and stool, open wounds, or even contaminated drinking water. (Brooks, 1996) It was not until many years later that clean drinking water was available, so there were many people at risk from just drinking water. Since she worked as a cook, she was putting others at risk of