What should you know about the latest treatment for typhoid fever?

Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection that can cause prolonged fever, headache, weakness, abdominal discomfort, diarrhoea, or constipation. Treatment requires an antibiotic selected by a clinician. The choice can depend on where exposure occurred, resistance patterns, allergy history, pregnancy, other medicines, and whether complications are present.

A blood or other laboratory test may help confirm the diagnosis, but treatment decisions also use symptoms and examination. Drinking fluids and replacing salts can support recovery, while antibiotics address the infection itself. Feeling better does not prove that the bacteria have gone.

Seek medical assessment for a persistent fever after travel or possible contaminated food or water, and mention recent travel and antibiotic use. Take the prescribed antibiotic at the times advised and complete the course unless the prescriber changes it. Do not use leftover antibiotics or share medicine.

Rest, drink safe fluids, and choose food that you can tolerate. Wash hands carefully after using the toilet and before handling food. Ask when you can return to work, school, or food preparation, because bacteria may remain in stool after symptoms improve and follow-up testing may be needed.

Get urgent help for severe abdominal pain or swelling, repeated vomiting, blood in stool, fainting, confusion, breathing difficulty, or a fever with marked deterioration. Contact the treating clinician if fever does not improve as expected, returns after treatment, or diarrhoea becomes severe. These changes can signal dehydration, treatment failure, or a complication.

Which test supports the diagnosis? Which antibiotic is appropriate and why? What should I do about a missed dose or side effect? How much fluid should I take? Do household contacts need advice, testing, or vaccination? When is follow-up needed?