Typhoid fever, also known as enteric fever, particularly infects your gut or small intestine. The most common typhoid symptoms include stomach pain, high fever, and several other flu-like symptoms. However, this fever is extremely rare in those places where very few people carry this infectious bacteria.
Food and water which is infected by S. Typhi bacteria are very likely to cause typhoid fever. This disease is contagious and can infect any person who comes in close contact with the affected person.
Nevertheless, there are some patients who continue to remain contagious with typhoid fever even after they’ve recovered. In fact, they are very likely to spread the disease for at least a year or more while being asymptomatic. So, if you are ever infected with the bacteria, make sure you get yourself tested even after recovering.
Since you are here today, this article will discuss the most common typhoid symptoms. While you dig further, you will also get to learn about the different types of Typhoid fever. Please stay tuned until the end to learn more about it. Let’s begin.
Types of Typhoid – What are They?
Typhoid fever can be broadly classified into two major distinctions – Typhoid and Paratyphoid. Both types of fever are grouped together as enteric fever. In fact, both of them are systemic infections and are caused by ingesting contaminated food and water.
While Salmonella Typhi causes typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever is promoted by Salmonella Paratyphi. Remember that paratyphoid fever is less prevalent and is milder in severity than typhoid fever.
Nevertheless, as they are both enteric fever, they are quite contagious. And whenever you are infected with this disease, your body is likely to discharge bacteria through the faeces. Sometimes, the bacteria might also be excreted through urine. So, typhoid fever is very likely to spread and contaminate people when they use public washrooms and leave without washing their hands.
Signs and Symptoms of Typhoid – What are They?
You should remember that both typhoid and paratyphoid fever exhibit similar kinds of symptoms. Generally, the symptoms of typhoid usually start appearing right after 1 to 3 weeks of bacterial exposure.
Here, we have listed some of the common symptoms of typhoid fever:
- Stringent cough
- Constipation
- High temperature that worsens with every passing day and might reach up to 104°F.
- Extreme fatigue
- Generalised aches and discomfort
- Headache, etc.
And as the infections tend to worsen, the symptoms start developing. Some of the other unusual symptoms of typhoid are:
- Diarrhoea
- Reduced appetite
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea or Bloating
- Weakness, etc.
Causes of Typhoid Fever
The infectious Salmonella Typhi bacteria paves the way for this stringent infection. The bacteria enter the body through the mouth, invade, and go down towards the intestines. Once it reaches the gut, the bacteria start growing for at least 1 to 3 weeks.
After that, they cross the intestinal walls and enter the bloodstream, affecting several body organs. Remember that the body’s immune system is incapable of fighting the bacterium as the microbe lives within the host cell.
To Conclude
By now, you must clearly understand typhoid symptoms and their types. Since you would never want to experience such traumatic things in your life, you must take the necessary precautions. For instance, you can consider consuming fresh and clean water, practising hygiene, and preventing typhoid fever.
You might think that typhoid is a disease of the past. But unfortunately, the disease continues to prevail even today and promotes severe illness in people worldwide. The best way to prevent the spread of this disease is by getting the appropriate vaccinations. This way, you can avoid being sick and prevent the disease from being transmitted.
