Typhoid fever is a serious and potentially fatal bacterial infection. It can cause symptoms of fever, abdominal pain and constipation. If they are not treated, symptoms can rapidly get worse and lead to serious complications, such as internal bleeding.
Typhoid fever is caused by bacteria called Salmonella typhi (S. typhi). It can be contracted by eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated by the S. typhi bacteria.
How common is it?
Typhoid fever is rare in England due to improvements in sanitation and public health. There are an estimated 25 cases of typhoid fever in England and Wales a year and it is thought that 70% of these cases are contracted abroad.
Typhoid fever is a serious health problem in other parts of the world, especially in areas with poor sanitation and no access to clean water, such as India and most of Africa.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 21 million cases of typhoid fever a year, resulting in 216,500 deaths.
Outlook
The outlook depends on whether the infected person is promptly treated with antibiotics. With antibiotic treatment, the outlook is good and less than 1% of people will die due to infection.
Without antibiotic treatment, the outlook can be poor and 10–20% of people will die due to complications.
A vaccination is available that provides protection against typhoid fever. Because it is rare in England, vaccination against typhoid fever is not routinely given as part of the childhood immunisation schedule.
It is recommended that you are vaccinated if you are travelling to parts of the world where typhoid fever is widespread. See Prevention, above.
