Contaminated water and poor sanitation are linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio. Absence, inadequate, or inappropriately managed water and sanitation services expose individuals to preventable health risks. This is particularly the case in health care facilities where both patients and staff are placed at additional risk of infection and disease. Typhoid fever is caused by a dangerous bacteria called Salmonella typhi. Salmonella typhi is related to the bacteria that cause salmonellosis, another serious intestinal infection, but they aren't the same. This means that Salmonella typhi is passed in the faeces and sometimes in the urine of infected people. If you eat food that has been handled by someone who has typhoid fever and who hasn't washed carefully after using the toilet, you can become infected.
In developing countries, where typhoid fever is established, most people become infected by drinking contaminated water. The bacteria may also spread through contaminated food and through direct contact with someone who is infected. However, they still shed the bacteria in their feces and are capable of infecting others.
Risk factors Typhoid fever is a serious worldwide threat and affects about 27 million or more people each year. The disease is established in Africa and many other areas. Worldwide, children are at greatest risk of getting the disease, although they generally have milder symptoms is rare, you're at increased risk if you; Avoid drinking untreated water. Contaminated drinking water is a particular problem in areas where typhoid fever is endemic. It's possible for the bacteria to live in your body for 12 months or more after you first became infected. You may need to have a further 28-day course of antibiotics to "flush out" the bacteria. Typhoid is a bacterial infection. It does not just affect one organ, but multiple organs of the body. After reaching the bloodstream, the bacteria attack the gastrointestinal tract, including the liver, spleen, and muscles. Sometimes, the liver and spleen also swell.