Typhoid Vaccine
Vaccination against typhoid fever is recommended if you’re travelling to parts of the world where the condition is common.
Typhoid is found throughout the world, but it’s more likely to occur in areas where there’s poor sanitation and hygiene.
Vaccination is strongly recommended if you’re going to be staying or working with local people, or if you’re going to be staying for prolonged periods in areas where sanitation and food hygiene are likely to be poor.
In the UK, most people who get typhoid fever develop it while visiting India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. It’s therefore particularly important that you’re vaccinated if you’re visiting these countries. Get Travel Clinic for Typhoid Vaccine
About the vaccine
In the United Kingdom, the 2 main vaccines available to prevent typhoid fever are:
- Vi vaccine – given as a single injection
- Ty21a vaccine – given as 3 capsules to take on alternate days
Side effects
After having the typhoid fever vaccine, some people have temporary soreness, redness, swelling or hardness at the injection site.
About 1 in every 100 people have a high temperature (fever) of 38C (100.4F) or above.
Less common side effects include:
- abdominal pain
- headache
- feeling sick
- diarrhoea
Severe reactions are rare for both typhoid vaccines.
Advice for travellers
Whether you have been vaccinated against typhoid or not, it’s important to take basic precautions when travelling in countries where typhoid fever is present.
For example:
- only drink bottled water from a bottle that was properly sealed, or water that’s been recently boiled
- avoid ice cream and don’t have ice in your drinks
- avoid uncooked fruit and vegetables, unless you have washed them in safe water or peeled them yourself
- avoid shellfish, seafood and salads
Typhoid infection risk areas
High-risk areas include:
- the Indian subcontinent
- Africa
- south and southeast Asia
- South America
