Typhoid / paratyphoid fever

Typhus_abdominalis

Typhoid fever is transmitted via contaminated food or drinking water. Typhoid vaccination is recommended before any travel to a region with a risk of typhoid infection. And when in such regions, people are advised to follow the well-known “Boil it, cook it, peel it or forget it” guidelines and to be sure to maintain good personal hygiene.

Pathogen and transmission

Typhoid fever is a serious general illness that is caused by the Salmonella Typhi bacterium. Paratyphoid fever is a weaker form of the disease which is caused not by the Salmonella Typhi pathogen but by Salmonella Paratyphi A, B or C. Infection occurs through the consumption of food or drinking water that is contaminated with the faeces of already infected persons.

Pathology

The symptoms of typhoid fever are a high fever, headaches, a loss of appetite, a slow pulse, a dry cough, abdominal pain, an enlarged spleen and sometimes a faint spotty rash. The disease’s course can be mild; but some cases can develop serious complications such as massive intestinal bleeding or abscesses in various organs. With the use of antibiotics, the disease’s mortality rate can be kept below one per cent.

Distribution and frequency of occurrence

Both pathogens are found worldwide. Between 20 and 50 cases are reported to the Federal Office of Public Health per year. Cases of the disease in Switzerland have largely been imported from countries with warmer climates and poor sanitation conditions.

Prevention

Anyone who develops a high fever that persists for several days – either in the tropics or after returning home from a visit to such regions – is advised to see a doctor. As a precaution before travel to warmer countries in which poor sanitation conditions can be expected, typhoid vaccination three weeks prior to departure is advised, in combination with practising good food hygiene and personal hygiene throughout the trip. This also means following the well-established rule of “Boil it, cook it, peel it or forget it”, and washing the hands after every visit to the toilet and before every meal.

For further information on the global distribution of typhoid and paratyphoid fever and ways and means to avoid infection, consult your GP or a doctor specialising in travel medicine.

Facts and figures on typhoid and paratyphoid fever

Weekly case numbers

(Page available only in German, French and Italian)

Basis: Swiss mandatory case reporting system 

Last modification 06.07.2024

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Contact

Federal Office of Public Health FOPH
Communicable Diseases Division
Schwarzenburgstrasse 157
3003 Bern
Switzerland
Tel. +41 58 463 87 06
E-mail

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https://www.bag.admin.ch/content/bag/en/home/krankheiten/krankheiten-im-ueberblick/typhus-abdominalis-paratyphus.html