Medical Keywords - Everything you need to know about health.

Traveling to a Developing Country? Look Out for Typhoid

Are you planning any trips to Africa, India or South America? How about certain areas in Russia like Uzbekistan or countries in Southeast Asia? These particular developing regions bring great risk of the disease typhoid fever. Over ten million people each year get it and because you live in the U.S. where sanitary conditions keep such diseases at bay, you could be more susceptible to it if you are traveling to developing countries for work or pleasure where water and sewage treatment facilities are not the norm.

Even if you are careful to stay sanitary and follow safety measures, you could still contract typhoid from someone else who has it. If you have pre-existing conditions which compromise the immune system, you are more susceptible. Drinking water contaminated with the typhoid bacteria will also cause the illness.

Pinpointing the Cause of Typhoid Fever

Typhoid is a disease that is caused by the Salmonella typhi bacterium. A similar bacterium called Salmonella paratyphi causes a less advanced strain of the disease. These bacteria are related to the one that causes salmonella food poisoning.

The fecal route is one of the most prevalent ways that typhoid is passed on from human to human. Because developing and under industrialized countries do not have proper waste management, any body eliminations may not be disposed of properly. As a result, there is often contamination of drinking water and this contaminated water could be used to irrigate crops and such.

The reasoning is that this salmonella bacterium from the feces contaminates the water which is then ingested in a variety of ways. Drinking water from open wells is one way and the crop irrigation is another. And if the food irrigated with the contaminated water is not thoroughly washed and cooked, the salmonella bacteria could enter the body. Not washing hands properly after using the bathroom is another culprit of transmitting the typhoid.

Symptoms and Treatment of the Disease

Some people, especially children, may become sick suddenly after exposure to the disease. However, it is more likely that the symptoms of typhoid develop gradually, usually anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks after the first exposure to the salmonella bacteria. A small amount of instances can occur where the disease does not manifest itself for several months. With the paratyphoid fever, the incubation fever is shorter, usually no later than 10 days.

High fever is common as is headache and sore throat pain. Constipation is likely to occur in adults while children experience diarrhea. Weakness and tiredness are common as are headaches and stomach pain. If the typhoid continues to a second week of infection, a pinkish colored rash develops along the torso of the body.

Second stage of typhoid is quite serious with high fevers, bad diarrhea, extreme weight loss or even constipation with a swollen abdomen. The third week brings up the typhoid state where exhaustion takes over and you may become delusional at times. This is the time where the typhoid fever could create additional health complications. If you make it through this stage, the recovery process is a bit slow as it might take up to a week for the fever to go away.

Treatment consists primarily of antibiotic healing. Each doctor is different and may prescribe different types of antibiotics, depending on what the latest research is in regards to antibiotic resistance. In addition, keeping fluids down to prevent dehydration is important. Also eating light nutritious meals with plenty of calories for energy can help your body fight off the typhoid more successfully.