An overview of typhoid disease
Typhoid disease is a food borne disease which spreads among the community through contaminated food and drinking sources. It is caused by the bacteria called salmonella typhi or salmonella paratyphi. It infects both children and adults at an equivalent rate. The infection period can be divided into a few phases namely the incubation period, bacterium phase, lysis phase and the fastigium phase. At each phase, the signs and symptoms manifested by patients can be different and affect different organs.
Common signs and symptoms of typhoid diseases are diarrhea or constipation, abdominal pain, vomiting, step ladder like pattern fever and jaundice. However, this can vary from a patient to another depending on your immune status and severity of infection. As this infectious disease usually spreads among endemic populations, vaccination can prevent the occurence of the disease.
Continue reading the article to know more about typhoid injection and its benefits.
How many injections of typhoid do you need?
As many of us know, the vaccination works by stimulating our body’s immune system to produce adequate amounts of antibodies that fight against the disease. This is done by injecting a small amount of weakened or inactive protein or the organism into our body and stimulating the immune cells. The antibodies produced are then kept as memory cells which helps in fighting against the similar strain of disease in the future.
Typhoid vaccination is commonly and widely used in clinical practice especially for food handlers and travellers as these two populations are the most prone to the infectious disease.Generally, there are two types of typhoid vaccination available worldwide which can be used in oral and injection forms. One of the vaccines is an inactivated (killed)vaccine while the other one is live, attenuated (weakened) vaccine. Your doctor will provide you with more details and information on the best type of vaccine that you can take.
- The inactivated (killed)vaccine is given as injection or a shot. It is best to take 2 weeks before travel to any endemic parts of the world such as the south indian continent, south east asia and south africa. You will be needing only one shot to stimulate the immune system in your body. A booster shot or injection is recommended for every 2 years if you still remain in the high risk group.
- On the other hand, for the live, attenuated vaccine it is administered orally and suitable for anyone above the age of 6 years old. The recommended dosage and duration is one capsule to be taken every other day for a total of 4 capsules. These capsules are usually taken 1 to 2 hours before meals with plain lukewarm water and are best stored in the refrigerator when not in use. For this type of vaccine, a booster dose is required for every 5 years for those travellers who remain at risk.
What are the risks of typhoid vaccines?
Just like any other drugs and medications, vaccines also possess some mild to moderate side effects which usually go off by itself without any medical intervention. Here are some examples of common side effects complained about and reported by patients previously.
- Pain from the injected area which is usually associated with swelling and redness at the site.
- Mild low grade fever, headache, nausea, vomiting & abdominal pain can usually happen after ingestion of live, attenuated oral vaccines.
Do inform your doctor if you have worsening of any of these side effects so an immediate intervention can be done to prevent complications of vaccination although this condition is very rare in the community.
