What should you know about typhoid and yellow fever?

Typhoid and yellow fever are different infections: typhoid spreads through contaminated food or water, while yellow fever spreads through infected mosquitoes. Travel destination, timing, vaccination history, and symptoms help a clinician decide what assessment is needed.

Typhoid may cause a persistent fever, headache, weakness, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhoea or constipation. Yellow fever may begin with fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea, and tiredness; severe illness can involve yellowing of the eyes or skin, bleeding, confusion, or reduced urine. These symptoms overlap with other infections, so they cannot identify the cause by themselves.

Neither infection is prevented by the same single measure. Safe food and water and careful handwashing reduce typhoid exposure. Mosquito repellent, covering exposed skin, and vaccination when suitable help reduce yellow fever risk.

If fever or significant illness develops during or after travel, seek medical advice and provide the full itinerary, dates, food and water exposures, mosquito bites, and vaccination record. Drink safe fluids if possible and avoid preparing food for others while diarrhoea or an infectious illness is being assessed.

Arrange Yellow Fever Vaccination advice before travel if your destination or personal circumstances make it relevant. A clinician can also discuss typhoid prevention, medicines, and the timing of any vaccines.

Seek urgent care for confusion, fainting, breathing difficulty, repeated vomiting, severe abdominal pain, yellowing of the skin or eyes, unusual bleeding, inability to drink, or very little urine. A fever after travel needs prompt review when it is persistent, worsening, or accompanied by marked weakness.

Ask which infection is being considered, whether tests are needed, which foods and drinks to avoid, whether vaccination is suitable, and what mosquito precautions fit your destination. Ask when symptoms after travel should be treated as urgent.