Five Israelis travelers have been hospitalized and are undergoing treatment for typhoid at the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer following recent trips to Nepal. A sixth is hospitalized in Tiberias.

Hospital officials said that all six are suffering from fever and are being treated with intravenous antibiotic. Following investigation, it was discovered that all of them had eaten at two Chabad centers in Nepal, including meals during the recent holiday period. The possibility that that the disease was transferred to their food by one of the local employees is being considered.

Because of the potential connection to the Nepal centers, Health Ministry officials suspect that there are additional cases of as-yet-undiagnosed infection. Israelis who were in Nepal over the past month and who have experienced a fever are asked to immediately seek medical attention and be tested.

On Sunday, an Israeli woman who returned from a trip to Nepal was was taken for treatment to a hospital in Tiberias after complaining of severe stomach pains. She is in stable condition, said doctors who diagnosed her as the sixth traveller suffering from a typhoid infection.

Stomach typhoid is caused by the salmonella virus, which is ingested in food or drink, entering the digestive system and then the circulatory system. It is characterized by a severe, sustained fever, and carries the risk of death if not treated in time. The accepted treatment for typhoid, also known as typhoid fever, involves two weeks of intravenous medication.

The Health Ministry said that it is investigating the source of the infection, as well as attempting to track down additional infected patients.

World health officials handling several recent natural disasters acknowledged that they are worried about possible outbreaks of such flood-borne diseases like typhoid, cholera, leptospirosis, A/H1N1 flu virus, and hepatitis A.