How long is Typhoid vaccine good for?

How long is typhoid vaccine good for? | Health is Wealth!

General Health

If you’re planning a tour to South Asia, Africa, or South America, I’m sure you must’ve been warned of the typhoid fever for these places.

Do you remember the typhoid shots (injections) given to you? If you don’t, there’s no need to worry. However, you don’t know how long a typhoid vaccine lasts, right?

Answering “how long is typhoid vaccine good for” – I’d like to tell you, typhoid vaccination is not life-time protection against the disease.

You need boosters every 3 years if you took injection, and boosters are required after 5 years when orally vaccinated. Although, the vaccine can last up to 10 years maximum, but loses its one-third protection. Typhoid vaccine for adults can be taken in both forms, either pills or injections.

The vaccine warns your body to make antibodies by exposing it to a little number of bacteria. It doesn’t work on an infected person or doesn’t kill the bacteria produced in large quantities due to infection. However, if you develop any kind of allergy against vaccines or developed in past, then don’t take the vaccine without consulting your doctor.

What is Typhoid Fever?

Typhoid is a type of fever that appears due to bacterial infection caused by the bacterium “Salmonella Typhi”. It can expand all over the body and affect vital organs in the human body.

When someone gets affected, the bacterium goes into the intestine, and then blood-stream, white blood cells carry it throughout the body. The fever can be fatal if not treated immediately, and it is highly transmissible.

Some people don’t have symptoms, rather they are carriers who become major vectors of this disease in an outbreak and spread in larger quantities. You should get tested if surrounding people are showing the symptoms and feeling sick. Do get your vaccine and stop contributing in the downfall of the human health.

Infected people can pass the bacteria through the excretory processes; stools, and urine. It spreads when someone eats food or drinks water contaminated with feces of an infected human. Unhygienic conditions often let this decease spread quicker. Hence everyone must get typhoid vaccine injection or pills.

Symptoms

  • High temperature to 39-40C
  • Diarrhea
  • Stomachache
  • Cough and Constipation

After some time of infection, you may face poor appetite, pain in tummy, and diarrhea. Typhoid needs to be treated quickly and you should not let these symptoms get complicated. If it continues to get worse and symptoms become complex and grow more, you can create a risk of fatality. I know, the above symptoms can appear in many different situations. To be sure of the disease, you must get your blood or stools sample tested from a laboratory for the bacteria Salmonella Typhi.

How effective is the typhoid vaccine?

The Typhoid vaccine has two forms:

  • (Ty21a) is a weaker type which can’t be given to children younger than 6 years. It is in capsules and is swallowed alternatively for a week.
  • (Polysaccharide) the form is a sugar-coated, which can be given to 2 years old babies to adults through injections.  

Typhoid vaccine minimum age required for vaccination is generally 2 years after birth.

It starts working after 1st week of injection, anti-bodies are formed to fight off the disease if already contracted with Typhoid. However, the effectiveness decreases over time. In higher-risk places, it was recorded that the protective rate fell-down to 70% after one and a half year, and 50% when three years were passed.

For travelers, they need to take the vaccination shots a week before embarking on those risky areas; the vaccine can start creating anti-bodies for protection. Do visit your doctor if you took the vaccine more than 5 years ago. Till now wondering how long is typhoid vaccine good for? Find out further details below: 

Travelers ask, “where to get typhoid vaccine?” If you’re living in the North America, you can get the shots at almost all well-known clinics in the country. In the United Kingdom, it is available in two kinds, 1st, a shot of inject-able is given and 2nd in the form of pills taken in a week by infected person.

Typhoid Vaccine Side Effects

Side effects are not life-threatening unless you’ve a severe allergy from the vaccine. Most common typhoid vaccine oral side effects: Stomachache, poor appetite with an urge to vomit, fever, or skin rash. The injected vaccine side effects include redness and swelling around the vaccinated area (where the shot has been given). Fever and headache are usual to appear.

Typhoid Infections are mostly found in large ratios in countries like Mexico, India, Pakistan other South Asian countries, and South African countries. Almost 22 million cases and 200,000 to 600,000 deaths occur every year.

Don’t take the vaccine if:

  • You have a fever with any illness
  • Hemophilia-Blood clotting disorder
  • Weak Immune system due to AIDS/HIV or any other disease.

Although minor cold is not something to worry about when receiving the vaccine. However, do visit your doctor if you’re pregnant before the immunization. 

Things to avoid after vaccination

So you’re almost ready to go for the tour, packed your suitcase and got immunized, right? But here are certain things to avoid even after vaccination:

  • Avoid leafy vegetables in risky areas, because the leaf can carry the bacteria and its hard surface doesn’t let go of these impurities with only water-wash.
  • Don’t drink cold drinks or juices purred with ice.
  • Try to cook yourself, wash the utensils properly before use.
  • Drink only sealed bottled water, which should be boiled.
  • Avoid eating from food streets.

Typhoid Vaccine in Pregnancy

Research is continued on the typhoid vaccination during pregnancy but there’s no clear data for now. Some women volunteered to take some of the drugs, but fortunately, to date, there are no worrying results or any malformation of the fetus. Experts are not sure even about the passing of the vaccine by breast-milk to a baby.

Is it necessary to take a typhoid vaccine during pregnancy?

Vaccines are given where there’s prevalent risk of the disease, or if you are in a risky place you must have considered vaccination. The UK Govt; doesn’t advise pregnant women to travel to areas where typhoid is more occurring. However, if it crucial for them to travel, they must get vaccinated before going. You should not worry about your unborn baby as the vaccine has not shown any side effects on unborn babies to date.

Should I worry about extra monitoring during pregnancy when I took the vaccination?

No! Keep visiting your doctor for scheduled check-ups and routine tests that most pregnant women do. There’s no need for extra care as there’s no study showing potential birth defects in vaccinated pregnant women.

If the father of my baby has taken the vaccine, can it cause risk for my baby?

It is not confirmed yet if sperms of the father can cause any potential risk to unborn babies, although experts think it most unlikely to happen. A lot of studies and researches are underway to find out the effects of uses of medicines on unborn babies.

Typhoid Complications

Symptoms of typhoid get complicated in only those patients who’ve not been treated properly. 1 person out of 10 people experiences severity, which occurs usually in the third week of typhoid.

There are two most common complications:

1.           Internal Bleeding

           Bleeding starts in the digestive system, it isn’t mostly fatal but can make you fragile. Symptoms can be weakness all day, Breath-shortness, Dark stool (Poo), and vomiting blood. Blood can be needed to fill-up the need, caused by vomiting. Sometimes surgery is preferred to repair the internal damages.

2.           Perforation

           Perforation is relatively a dangerous complication. In this process, the lining gets affected by the bacteria which live in digestive the system can move into the stomach.

Lining infection is also known as Peritonitis. In peritonitis, the peritoneum tissue is effected which covers internal organs like liver, kidney, and bowel. Peritoneum tissue doesn’t have an inbuilt defense system like other organs.

In peritonitis, the infection first goes into blood before other organs, and this can cause multiple organ failure as blood is circulated all over the body. If it is not timely and properly treated, the patient can die eventually.

The most common symptom is sudden stomach pain, which will keep getting worse over time. Peritonitis can only be treated at a hospital with 24/7 care and respective anti-biotics are injected. At the end of the treatment, a surgery closes the intestinal holes.

Conclusion

Typhoid is a fever, which appears due to bacterial infection caused by bacterium “Salmonella Typhi”. The symptoms include high temperature, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting.

It can be cured by specific antibiotics, there’s typhoid vaccine for long term protection.

You need boosters at least after 5 years of vaccine injection, as it lasts up to 5 years with 75% protection. I hope you finally have the answer to “how long is typhoid vaccine good for”.

References

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