Typhoid In Children – Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Typhoid in children is one of the serious and sometimes life threatening infection. As a concerned mom, you always want to make sure that your children are safe and healthy. You do your level best to ensure that they don’t fall prey to any illness or disorder. However, it is only natural that sometimes, even the best preventive measures fail to work, and your little one does fall sick. In such a situation, it is always better to be prepared and alert, rather than panic and have no idea of what to do, right?

One such condition that can affect children is typhoid. Read our post and learn what causes typhoid, what are its symptoms and how you can treat it.

What Is Typhoid?

Typhoid or typhoid fever is a type of infection that occurs due to the bacteria Salmonella typhi. Its symptoms can range from mild to severe, and the first sign of the same is usually mild fever that quickly turns into a raging fever within the next few days. Typhoid is rather common in children, but because you are probably unaware of the symptoms or think of it as just a regular fever, there is a delay in administering the right type of treatment (1).

[ Read: Dengue Fever In Children ]

Causes Of Typhoid In Children:

Typhoid is most commonly spread due to poor hygiene habits. When someone comes in direct contact with (by drinking or eating) water or food that has been contaminated by the salmonella typhi, there is a high chance of getting infected with typhoid. Here are a few ways for the causes of typhoid in children when they come in touch with the typhoid bacteria:

• People who have been affected by the typhoid bacteria may not always be aware of the fact that they are carriers. In such a scenario, they can easily contaminate the water or food near them by spreading the germs through touching, sneezing and coughing.

• The typhoid bacteria are also found in large numbers in human feces, which, when it comes in contact with water or is at a location near water, has a high chance of contaminating the same. Flies and other insects can act as carriers and spread the bacteria from the stool to the water. When this water supply comes in contact with the food supply, it can easily pass on the infection.

• The salmonella typhi bacteria can survive for some days in water or any form of sewage that is dried.

• Almost three to five percent of the people who get affected with typhoid in turn become carriers, without knowing that the strains of the bacteria are still present in their bodies. Some may experience a mild health issue that will go away in a few weeks. Others may become long-term carriers of the bacteria and may pose a potential health hazard to others, without ever realizing it. Such people can lead to new outbreaks of typhoid that can spread to anyone who comes in contact with them (2).

[ Read: Healthy Habits For Kids ]

Symptoms Of Typhoid In Children:

Here are the  few symptoms of typhoid in children that you should keep an eye out for:

• A very high fever that may start off as a mild fever but suddenly shoots up in the next few days and does not seem to subside. The high fever will be one of the longest symptoms of typhoid and may continue for up to two to three weeks.

• A headache or a constant and dull throbbing in the head.

• Weakness and excessive fatigue even though your child has been well rested and slept well. In some cases, your child may not even have the energy to get out of bed or sit up without help.

• Discomfort in the throat or a sore throat.

• Pain in the abdomen area and some cases, it may seem as if your child’s abdomen has distended.

• Diarrhea, which can sometimes be severe.

• Blood in the stool.

• Chills through the body.

• Irritability.

• Very frequent and very severe mood swings, from depression to aggressiveness.

• Hallucinations.

• Bleeding from the nose.

• Rashes on the chest or the front part of the body in the first one or two weeks of the infection.

• Your child will also lose a lot of weight in a very small amount of time.

• By the third week of the illness, your child may start showing signs of deliriousness and may not be able to concentrate. At this stage, also called the typhoid stage, your child will suffer from even severe exhaustion than before and may find it difficult to keep the eyes open. It is a critical stage, and if not treated on time, can lead to severe complications that can also lead to life-long damage (2).

[ Read: Scarlet Fever In Children ]

Treating Typhoid In Children:

Once the doctor makes a diagnosis that your child has typhoid, here are some of the options for the treatment of typhoid fever in children that she may follow:

• Your child may be given an antibiotic shot that will help to kill the salmonella typhi bacteria. Once the antibiotic shot is administered, your child will most likely show signs of improvement in a day or two. In most cases, your child will recover from typhoid within seven to ten days after getting the antibiotic shot.

• There are various antibiotics that are considered to be very effective in treating typhoid. One of the first and most common antibiotic that was used to treat typhoid was Chlorampheicol, but because it caused a lot of side effects, it was removed and replaced.

• Your doctor will refer an antibiotic based on the area from where your child most likely contracted the infection, as certain strains of the bacteria from certain places will react differently to antibiotics.

• In case your child is given the antibiotic shot and still goes into a relapse, which is a fairly common occurrence in such cases, the doctor will restart the typhoid treatment in children with the use of antibiotics.

• For severe cases, the doctor will continue an antibiotic course for a very long time to ensure that all traces of the bacteria have left your child’s body (3).

  [ Read: Glandular Fever In Children ]

While typhoid fever in childrencan be a physically taxing health concern, it can cause more health complications if left untreated. Make sure you spot the symptoms and speak to your child’s doctor the moment you find anything amiss.

Moms, did your child ever get typhoid? How did you care for her? Do share your tips with other moms here.

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