Written by Dr Diana Gillatt, Tanunda Medical Centre
So what is Typhoid Fever and where is it a problem?
Typhoid is a nasty bacterial infection you contract from contaminated food or drink, sometimes even from dust.. You would develop a fever, headache, tiredness, general aches, a rash and abdominal pain with upset bowels. It can be mistaken for malaria or other tropical illnesses. Often Typhoid will be serious enough to land you in hospital.
It tends to occur in countries with warm climates and that have poorer sanitation standards for their water and sewerage. Your travel doctor will let you know if your planned trip will put you at risk of catching Typhoid.
Worldwide millions of cases still occur every year, and many thousands of people die. So it’s a good thing to avoid!
Vaccination is recommended, and there are different options, some vaccination can be given orally instead of by injection..
Protection from vaccination takes a couple of weeks to build up to it’s full effect so you need to seek medical advice ideally 6 weeks before departure..
