Typhoid Fever : Causes & Risk Factors

Typhoid fever, alternately known as Enteric fever, is most common in the developing nations. Its victims are rare or very few in the developed nations like England and the US. The developing nations, where access of pure and clean water is a problem, witness millions of death each year due to the typhoid fever.

Typhoid fever, a systemic bacterial infection, is a severe disease that is characterized by sore throat, consistently high fever, rash, and constipation or diarrhea. This deadly disease is caused by a potent bacterium that is known as Salmonella typhi.

Given below are some major causes and the risk factors of typhoid fever.

The bacteria causing typhoid fever find its way to the human intestine through the contaminated water and food substances. Sometimes, it also spreads by coming in contact with the infected person. In the developing countries, the majority of the cases of typhoid fever are the result of poor sanitation and unhygienic water.

In the industrialized nations, majority of the patients get infected while travelling to the developing and underdeveloped nations and then spread this disease to other people through the fecal oral means. In these cases, Salmonella typhi enters the feces and occasionally in the urine of the person suffering from typhoid fever.

Typhoid fever infection can also be contracted by eating foods handled by typhoid fever patients, who don’t follow hygiene habit such as washing hands properly after using the bathroom.

Another way of contracting this infection is through the typhoid carriers. Some people carry on the bacteria in their intestine or gallbladder for a long time in spite of getting antibiotics treatment. Although these chronic carriers of the disease may not exhibit the signs and symptoms of typhoid fever, they spread the disease by shedding the S. typhi bacteria in their feces.

Typhoid fever disease is a serious threat across the world. It is endemic in nations such as Africa, India, Southeast Asia, South America, etc. Children are definitely at an increased risk of getting infected with the virulent S.typhi bacteria.

Your risk of developing typhoid fever disease increases greatly if you are in close contact of a sufferer, or if you travel or work in areas where this disease is endemic, or if you are a microbiologist, who handles S. typhi bacteria. Weak immune system due to certain medications or HIV can also increase your risk of getting infected.