What is it?
Typhoid fever is a serious bacterial infection that easily spreads through intake of food and water contaminated with the bacteria.Typhoid is caused by bacteria called Salmonella typhi (S. typhi). Approximately 3%-5% of patients become carriers of the bacteria after the acute illness and be the source of new outbreaks of typhoid fever for many years.
What are the symptoms?
After infection it can take a week or two for symptoms to appear. Some of these symptoms are:
- High fever.
- Weakness.
- Stomach pain.
- Headache.
- Poor appetite.
- Rash.
- Fatigue.
- Confusion.
- Constipation.
- Diarrhoea.
Serious complications are rare, but can include bleeding or perforations in the intestine. This can lead to a life-threatening infection in the blood called sepsis. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and severe abdominal pain.
What to expect?
If you are diagnosed with typhoid fever, you can consider discussing the following subjects with your doctor:
- What are treatment options recommended for you?
- Once treatment is successful, what precautionary measures can you do so that you do not contract the disease in the future?
In addition to treatment by your doctor you can try the following things:
- Pain relievers might help in relieving pain and fever.