How Do People Acquire Typhoid Fever?

Typhoid fever is a potentially fatal illness caused by bacterial infection with Salmonella typhi, according to Medline Plus. Typhoid fever is a communicable disease spread largely in unsanitary environments.

Location

• Typhoid fever largely affects countries in the developing world, although people with weakened immune systems or those who are exposed to infected people or water anywhere can become infected, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Oral-Fecal Transmission

• S. typhi bacteria are spread through the urine and feces of infected people, and the disease can be contracted through contaminated food or water, according to the Mayo Clinic and Medline Plus.

Close Contact

• Rarely, typhoid fever bacteria are spread simply through close contact with an infected person, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Carriers

• Some people become carriers of S. typhi bacteria and may spread them through their feces for years after their case of the disease has cleared up, according to the Mayo Clinic and Medline Plus.

Prevention

• To avoid being infected with S. typhi bacteria, the Mayo Clinic recommends that people in affected areas wash their hands, not consume untreated water and uncooked foods and eat foods that have been thoroughly cooked.