Everything you Need to Know about Typhoid Vaccine

You Need to Know about Typhoid Vaccine

 A bacterial infection called typhoid fever can spread throughout the body and harm numerous organs. It can lead to serious complications and even be fatal without prompt treatment. Salmonella typhi, a bacterium related to those that cause salmonella food poisoning, is the culprit behind it. The typhoid virus is very contagious. A person who is infected can expel the bacteria from their body through their faeces or, less frequently, through their urine. A person can contract the bacteria and develop typhoid fever if they consume food or drink water that has been tainted with a small amount of infected poop or pee.

In regions of the world with poor sanitation and insufficient access to clean water, typhoid fever is most prevalent. Typhoid fever is thought to be most common in children around the world. Their immune system, the body's natural defence against disease and infection, may still be developing, which explains why. However, compared to adults, children with typhoid fever typically exhibit milder symptoms. In the UK, there are only about 300 confirmed cases of typhoid fever each year.

Most of these people contracted the disease while traveling to see family in Pakistan, Bangladesh, or India. However, traveling to South America, Africa, or Asia puts you at risk as well.

Symptoms of typhoid fever

Typhoid fever's primary signs and symptoms are consistently high temperature that rises day by day, headache, aches and pains in general, extreme fatigue (fatigue), cough, constipation. You might experience weight loss as the infection worsens, along with nausea, a tummy ache, and diarrhoea. Some individuals might get a rash.

Typhoid fever symptoms will worsen over the coming weeks if untreated, and there is a higher chance that it will lead to potentially fatal complications.

Treatment of typhoid fever

Antibiotics must be taken as soon as possible to treat typhoid fever. Early diagnosis of typhoid fever increases the likelihood that the infection will be mild and that it will be treatable at home with a 7–14-day course of antibiotic tablets.

Typhoid fever that is more severe typically needs to be admitted to the hospital so that antibiotic injections can be given. Most patients will begin to feel better within a few days with prompt antibiotic treatment, and serious complications are extremely uncommon.

Typhoid fever deaths are now essentially unheard of in the UK. According to estimates, up to 1 in 5 typhoid fever patients will pass away if their condition is not treated. The infection will cause complications for some of the survivors.

Vaccination against typhoid fever

Two vaccines that can offer some defence against typhoid fever are accessible in the UK.  These either entail taking three capsules on alternate days or receiving a single injection. Anyone intending to visit regions of the world where typhoid fever is common should get vaccinated from a travel vaccination centre at Kent. The regions where typhoid fever is most prevalent are South and Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent, South America.

If you're going to a region where typhoid fever is a risk, you should get vaccinated against it because some strains of the typhoid bacteria are evolving antibiotic resistance. The importance of vaccinations increases if you intend to live or interact frequently with locals. But since neither vaccine provides 100 percent protection, it's also crucial to adhere to some precautions when travelling. 

Typhoid vaccine side effects

Some people experience temporary soreness, redness, swelling, or hardness at the injection site after receiving the typhoid fever vaccine. One-hundredth of a person has a high temperature. The less frequent side effects include headaches, nausea, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain. Both of the typhoid vaccines rarely cause severe reactions.