Typhoid fever is a potential disease in the most developed countries, particularly those in tropical areas. Add the virus to any area where there is poor sanitation or unhygienic conditions, and you have a recipe for disaster. It can be fatal for many and in certain cases, it becomes hard to save a person from dying.
Fortunately, scientists have developed typhoid vaccination which can ultimately put a stop to the spread of the typhoid population. It’s a necessity and should be given to every child as per the vaccination schedule.
Not everyone knows what it is or how it works. So here we have everything you need to know about typhoid vaccination to help you decide whether or not it’s worth taking the risk.
What is typhoid vaccination?
Typhoid fever is a serious disease caused by Salmonella Typhi bacteria. It is one of the most common diseases that affect individuals in developing countries. In fact, it is responsible for 11-20 million infections and around 128000 people die every year.
The symptoms of the disease include high fever, fatigue, headache, cough, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, and so on.
With the introduction of typhoid vaccination, typhoid fever has started to be under control since infancy. Deaths have reduced and people are leaving healthy life. It is common in many parts of the world, especially in East and Southeast Asia.
Types of Typhoid Vaccination
Two types of typhoid vaccination are available to protect the young generation from typhoid fever. One includes the activated one (killed vaccine) and the other is live (attenuated vaccine).
- Inactivated: It is given as an injection to children older than 6 months years of age. Its single dose should be given between 6-9 months. You can consult a pediatrician for a catch up vaccination when not given between that time. Moreover, get a dose when you are traveling to a place where typhoid is pretty common.
- Live: It is in oral form and can be provided to children above 6 years of age.
Among them, the inactivated vaccine is widely in use. Get in touch with your doctor to get more information about them.
Why your child should get typhoid vaccination?
Typhoid vaccination is an immediate need of the current generation because of the overgrowing population. Even if an unvaccinated child catches typhoid fever then later in his life, he can be a potential spreader of the disease. To keep the disease under control, it’s essential to administer typhoid vaccination to your child. The results can be unexpected and fatal when a person is unvaccinated.
How effective is typhoid vaccination?
The efficacy of typhoid vaccination is not 100% but pretty close to it. Still, it can provide you with a prolonged defense against the disease.
Is it safe to get typhoid vaccination?
No! Typhoid vaccination is not harmful to your child. It’s safe and highly effective to protect yourself from typhoid disease. However, you can experience these side effects:
- Headache
- Fever
- Redness or soreness on the source of injection
- A bit discomfort
These are common and there is nothing to worry about. Only if your child is showing some other symptoms, do you have to become careful and consult the doctor.
How can you avoid typhoid fever?
Ultimately, prevention is the best method to avoid typhoid fever, and you can prevent it by practicing good hygiene such as washing your hands with soap and drinking only clean or boiled water, especially in countries where typhoid fever is common.
Please also try to keep rumors regarding vaccination away. Most of them are not true and are spread by stupid people. It’s safe and administered only by health professionals.
Conclusions
Like all other kinds of immunization like OPV vaccination, the typhoid vaccine is a significant one. Vaccination makes our life better and easier.
Typhoid is a serious disease that needs to be taken seriously if you’re traveling to countries where it is prevalent.
Fortunately, the typhoid vaccine is usually well-tolerated and can be an effective way of preventing this disease. It’s important to have safeguards and protective procedures that reduce the risk of infection as much as possible. So, the complete and proper administration of the vaccine is critical.
