Typhoid fever- Causes, Symptoms and Home remedies

2021-12-08 18:45:32

Typhoid fever is also known as Motihara or intermittent fever and is caused by a bacterial infection in the digestive tract and bloodstream. This fever is caused by the bacteria Salmonella typhi. When this bacteria enters the body with contaminated food, drink or water, it multiplies and spreads from the intestines to the blood, after which the symptoms of typhoid begin to be felt. Typhoid bacteria survive for weeks in water or dry stool. In this way, it causes infection by reaching the body through contaminated water or food items. When a person eats or drinks leftover food from an infected person, then there is a high possibility for another person to get typhoid disease.

Causes of Typhoid

Typhoid fever is caused by the consumption of food or water infected with Salmonella typhi bacteria, or close contact with a person infected with this bacterium and eating or drinking leftover food from an infected person increases the chances of typhoid. Reaching the digestive tract, the number of these bacteria increases. Inside the body, these bacteria reach from one organ to another and symptoms of typhoid start appearing.

Symptoms of Typhoid

Following are the major symptoms of typhoid-

• Fever is the main symptom of typhoid.
• As the infection progresses, so does the patient's appetite.
• A person suffering from typhoid has a headache.
• Body pain occurs as a symptom of typhoid.
• Body chills.
• There is a feeling of lethargy.
• Weakness is felt in typhoid.
• Diarrhoea occurs as a symptom of typhoid.
• Usually, a person suffering from typhoid has a fever above 102-104 degrees.
• In older children, typhoid can also cause constipation and diarrhoea.

Ways to Prevent Typhoid

Typhoid is also usually caused due to the influence of food and lifestyle. For this, dietary and lifestyle changes can protect against typhoid.

Dietary measures-

• In typhoid, strong-smelling foods like onions, garlic etc. should be avoided.
• All spices such as chilli, sauce, vinegar etc. should not be consumed in typhoid.
• Gas-forming foods like pineapple, jackfruit etc. should not be eaten in typhoid.
• If you feel the symptoms of typhoid, one should avoid a high fibre diet, vegetables that contain a high amount of fibre, insoluble fibre such as banana, papaya, sweet potato, whole grains.
• Butter, ghee, pastries, fried foods, sweets should be avoided if the symptoms of typhoid are felt.
• Heavy food should not be eaten in typhoid.
• Non-vegetarian food should not be eaten in typhoid.

Lifestyle measures-

• Hands should be washed with warm soapy water.
• Boiled or only bottled water should be drunk.
• Raw food should not be taken.
• Properly cooked food should be eaten hot.
• Beverages and food items should not be taken from outside shops.
• Infected persons should be kept away from household work.
• The personal use items of the infected person should be kept clean and separate to prevent infection.

Home remedies for the treatment of Typhoid

• A decoction made by mixing basil, liquorice, gajwan, honey and sugar candy in water should be drunk. This brings down the fever quickly.
• Typhoid fever is cured by drinking the juice of basil leaves because it has an amazing ability to kill bacteria. It should be used in the morning for about three days.
• Mix betel juice, ginger juice and honey in equal quantity and drink it in the morning and evening, it provides relief.
• When suffering from typhoid in summer, cook raw mango in fire or water and drink its juice mixed with water.
• Special care should be taken of food in this fever. In case of fever, milk, tea, sugar candy syrup, seasonal juice, soda water and raw coconut water must be drunk.
• More and more water should be consumed. By drinking more water, the poison of the body comes out of the body in the form of urine and sweat.
• In case of high fever, keeping a cloth of cold water on the forehead brings down the fever, and the heat of fever does reach the head.
• Take five to ten grams of garlic clove and fry it in oil or ghee, adding rock salt to it ends fever.

When to go to the doctor?

Typhoid is an infectious disease, if you feel high fever, abdominal pain, weakness and symptoms of typhoid, then the doctor should be contacted as soon as possible. Do not delay in going to the doctor otherwise, it can turn into a serious disease. Delay in treatment can lead to intestinal inflammation.