How to Avoid Typhoid

How does one get Typhoid Fever? Frankly, it's quite disgusting. If you want to know, you may wiki this yourself. The more polite response is that it's a water and food borne disease. Even though this post is titled, "How to get Typhoid," this is actually a friendly encouragement to make sure you are up-to-date on your vaccine and for more information, visit the CDC or WHO websites.

I've been asked frequently how and where I got Typhoid. Frankly, I have no idea. It could have been anything I ate or drank over the last month. Oh wait, that's right, I had Typhoid. The vaccine is only good for two years and only 50%-80% effective. I was probably 12 years overdue.

I had a milder case of Typhoid. I pulled myself together to make it to the doctor for a blood test (I thought it was dengue) and was on antibiotics three days after first coming down with a fever. Aside from the throbbing migraine, if you're lay in bed, it's not really that painful. The high fever and mild psychosis make you lethargic and sleepy. You lose your appetite and all food tastes extremely bad. However, if you sit up, or try to visit the bathroom, then you know you it's not just a common flu and you mutter angrily about living in such a crappy country that can't eradicate a largely preventable and controllable tropical disease. So you stay in bed...for a week...pretty much just sleeping and watching TV. Towards the end, you start to loose your mind because of sheer boredom.

The following week, you feel extremely tired and have some difficulty focusing, but you head back to work because you're way too bored to convalesce any longer. By the end of that week, you should feel largely well, though your weakened immune system might be fighting something else. The week after that, you're still tired and require nine full hours of sleep per night. Three weeks after coming down Typhoid, then you should finally feel yourself again. Through it all, you're thankful there are people who are looking out for you, texting their sympathy, and thankful that in Cambodia, you can order in.

At least now I get to report that I had an exotic and dangerous sounding disease. Frankly, it's overrated. Also, living in the developing world where unfortunately Typhoid is common, there's really no glamour, only pity. Which is why I highly recommend the semi-effective short-term vaccine. Seriously, it's not an enjoyable disease.