The summer holiday season is well underway, with many people already travelling or making their final arrangements to go on holiday over the summer. However, one of the most important trips you can take is to a travel health clinic to get protection and advice from diseases more commonly found abroad.
One of these is typhoid fever, which the UK Health Security Agency has warned has seen an increase in travel-related cases in Britain since last year and has reached its highest number since records began.
Whilst typhoid and the related paratyphoid fever have the potential to be very serious, it is both very treatable and very preventable.
Here is what to look out for when on holiday, how to protect yourself before you travel and why almost all cases found in the UK are travel-related.
What Is Typhoid?
Caused by a bacterial infection related to Salmonella, typhoid fever is a serious disease spread by water or food contaminated with bodily waste.
Its most common symptom is a fever that keeps getting worse, although headaches, general muscle pains, stomach pains, rash, fatigue and a cough.
Symptoms will start to appear within seven days and last around four weeks, but if left untreated there is a risk of serious and potentially life-threatening complications.
It is sometimes confused with the very similar disease paratyphoid fever, which is similar but typically (although not always) has less severe symptoms and lasts for a shorter duration.
The risk of complications is why if you have any concerns that you may have been infected you must seek medical advice as soon as possible, as prompt treatment significantly reduces these risks.
Why Are Cases Increasing In The UK?
Typhoid is extremely uncommon in the UK and almost all of the roughly 700 cases reported are related to travel, most commonly from people returning from the Indian subcontinent but also from other parts of Asia, Africa and South America.
It used to be endemic in the UK, with cases originating in Britain peaking between 1840 and 1940 alongside similar water-borne infections such as cholera, but an understanding of germ theory, improved sanitation and healthcare reforms have all but wiped it out.
It is most commonly found in areas where there are issues with sanitation and clean water cannot be guaranteed, which means that travellers visiting rural areas or spending time with friends and family may be at a greater risk of contracting typhoid.
Most cases are travellers returning from a country where it is endemic, but because it easily spreads through contact with contaminated water or food, it is possible for small localised outbreaks to take place so it is essential to be vigilant.
How Is Typhoid Treated?
As a bacterial infection, typhoid is treated with antibiotics. In most cases, completing a short course of antibiotic tablets is enough to treat the disease and reduce the risk of someone becoming a carrier, although a doctor will continue to take samples to make sure this is the case.
In some cases where more severe symptoms or complications appear, someone may be treated in hospital with antibiotic injections or surgery in the case of perforation.
Whilst travel-related cases have increased, it is still an extremely rare condition in the UK and serious complications and deaths are almost unheard of due to rapid intervention and over a century of effective treatment and medical understanding.
How Can You Protect Yourself From Typhoid?
If you are travelling to somewhere that has a high risk of contracting typhoid, getting vaccinated against it is highly recommended, as it provides considerable protection alongside taking precautions when eating and drinking whilst at your destination.
Drinking only recently boiled or sealed bottled water, avoiding drinks with ice in them and ice cream, avoiding eating seafood and being careful around salads that you have not prepared yourself in safe water will help to prevent typhoid, as will washing hands thoroughly and using hand sanitiser.
There are two main vaccines used in the UK. The most common of these is a single injection, whilst there is an alternative live oral vaccine taken as three separate capsules over the course of five days.
Both should be taken over a month before you travel if possible, to give time for your body to develop antibodies to protect you from typhoid, and both will provide three years of increased protection from typhoid.
Your local travel clinic is there to provide advice and guidance to protect you from diseases found abroad and can advise you if you should get the typhoid vaccine.