The typhoid fever vaccine

What is typhoid fever?

Typhoid fever is a bacterial disease caused by the ingestion of food or drink contaminated by the feces or urine of an infected person. Symptoms usually develop one to three weeks after exposure and include high fever and diarrhea. The disease is rare in the United States but is quite common in countries in the developing world. The vaccine is given in one dose with a needle.

Who gets it?

The vaccine is recommended for anyone traveling outside of the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

What at the side effects?

The vaccine usually causes a mild reaction that includes swelling at the injection site, fever and headache.

Vaccine recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization recommend that people traveling to high-risk areas (Asia, Africa and South America) receive the vaccine.

What you need to know

Immunization is not the only way to prevent typhoid fever infection. At-risk travelers should drink only boiled or bottled water and should stay away from food that's uncooked or prepared by street vendors.