How Is Typhoid Spread?
Basics According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 400 cases of typhoid are diagnosed in the United States each year. Of those, approximately 75 percent are diagnosed in people who have traveled to developing countries where typhoid is common, Typhoid affects approximately 21.5 million people annually. Typhoid is a bacterial disease caused by Salmonella typhi (S. typhi). This bacterium lives only in the human blood stream and intestinal tract. Typhoid is spread through contact with the stool of a person who is shedding the disease. Water Coming into contact with sewage that contains the S. typhi bacterium is one way the disease is spread. In this case, typhoid may be spread when the contaminated water is used to wash food, if it is used as drinking water or as water to wash up. Just a small amount of S. typhi in water is enough to spread typhoid. Foodstuffs Typhoid can be contracted by eating or drinking food and beverages that were handled by a person wi
