Typhoid Fever

Typhoid is an infection because of Salmonella typhimurium bacteria that is spread from human to human. No animals hold this disease, so transmission is always human being to human being.

Symptoms of Typhoid Fever

The incubation duration is normally 1-2 weeks, and the period of the illness is about 3-4 weeks.

Symptoms include:

• Low appetite 
• Mild to severe headaches 
• Generalized pains and aches 
• Fever as high as 104 degrees Farenheit 
• Sweating 
• Lethargy 
• Dry Cough 
• Diarrhea or bowel problems 

Chest congestion grows in lots of people, and abdominal discomfort and pain are common. The fever becomes constant.

Causes

Salmonella Typhimurium penetrates via the mouth and spends 1 to 3 weeks in the intestine. After this, it makes its way through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream. From the bloodstream, it widely spreads into other cells and organs.

Fecal-oral transmission route

The bacteria that produce typhoid fever pass on via contaminated food or water and occasionally through direct contact with anyone who is infected. In developing nations, where typhoid fever is established, a lot of cases originate from contaminated drinking water and poor sanitation. The majority of people in industrialized countries pick up typhoid bacteria while traveling and spread it to other people by way of the fecal-oral route.

Which means that Salmonella Typhimurium is passed in the feces and sometimes in the urine of affected people. It is possible to contract the bacterial infection if you eat food handled by someone with typhoid fever who hasn’t washed carefully after utilizing the toilet. You can even become infected by drinking water contaminated with the bacteria.

Typhoid Carriers

Even after treatment with anti-biotics, a few individuals who recover from typhoid fever continue to keep harbour the bacteria in their intestinal tracts or gallbladders, often for a long time. These people, generally known as chronic carriers, shed the bacteria in their feces and are capable of infecting other people, although they no longer have signs or symptoms of the illness themselves.

Typhoid Diagnosis

Blood, Stool and Urine samples are collected so that they can be examined under the microscope for the presence of Salmonella typhi. However, the bacteria may not always be determined in the early stages of disease and a serious of tests may be required to confirm the diagnosis.

Testing the bone marrow is known as a more reliable way for diagnosing typhoid. However, obtaining a bone marrow sample is painful and is therefore avoided if possible.

Blood culture is another common way of diagnosis. Blood drawn from the victim is placed on a culture media, that allows any kind of bacteria present to develop and be identified under a microscope.

A stool culture may additionally give outcomes by allowing the bacteria to grow in a culture media.

Typhoid Treatment

Typhoid fever can commonly be cured effectively with a course of antibiotic medication. Most cases can be treated at home, but you may need to be admitted to hospital if the situation is difficult.

Treatment at home

If typhoid fever is detected in its, a course of antibiotic tablets may be prescribed for you. Most of the people need to take these for 7 to 14 days.

Some strains of the Salmonella typhi bacteria that lead to typhoid fever have developed a resistance to one or more kinds of antibiotics.

Any blood, stool or urine samples taken for the duration of the diagnosis will usually be tested in a laboratory to determine which strain you’re infected with, so you can be treated with an appropriate antibiotic.

The signs and symptoms should begin to improve within 2 to 3 days of taking antibiotics. But it’s really important you finish the course to ensure the bacteria are fully removed from the body.

Make sure to rest, consume lots of fluids and eat regular meals. You can find it simpler to eat smaller meals more frequently, rather than 3 larger meals a day.

You should also take care of good standards of personal hygiene, for example regularly washing the hands with soap and warm water, to decrease the risk of spreading the infection to other people.

Hospital Treatment

Hospital admission is normally recommended for those who have severe signs and symptoms of typhoid fever, such as persistent vomiting, severe diarrhoea or a swollen stomach.

As a preventative measure, small children who develop fever may be admitted to hospital.

In hospital, you’ll have antibiotic injections and you can also be given essential fluids and nutrients directly into a vein via an intravenous drip.

Relapses

In a few situations, the symptoms or infection may recur. It is referred to as a relapse. Some

people who are treated for typhoid fever experience a relapse, which is when signs or symptoms return.

In these situations, the symptoms typically return around a week after antibiotic treatment has completed.

The second time around , symptoms are usually milder and last for a shorter time compared to the original illness , but further treatment with antibiotic is usually recommended .