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This serious illness is caused by contaminated food or water and is characterized by severe diarrhea, often with blood or mucus in the stool. There are two kinds of dysentery.

Bacillary dysentery (shigellosis) is characterized by a high fever and rapid onset; headache, vomiting and stomach pains are also symptoms.

It generally does not last longer than a week, but it is highly contagious. Amebic dysentery is often more gradual in the onset of symptoms, with cramping abdominal pain and vomiting less likely; fever may not be present. It is not a self-limiting disease: it will persist until treated and can recur and cause long-term health problems. A stool test is necessary to diagnose which kind of dysentery you have, so you should seek medical help urgently. In case of an emergency the drugs norfloxacin or ciprofloxacin can be used as presumptive treatment for bacillary dysentery, and metronidazole (Flagyl) for amebic dysentery.

Typhoid fever is an acute bacterial disease caused by Salmonella typhi. Typhoid germs are passed in the feces and, to some extent, the urine of infected people. The germs are spread by eating or drinking water or food contaminated by feces (or urine) from the infected individual.

Symptoms generally appear one to three weeks after exposure. In its early stages typhoid resembles many other illnesses, and often sufferers may feel like they have a bad cold or flu on the way. The onset of typhoid fever is normally gradual, with fever, malaise, chills, headache, generalized aches in the muscles and joints, tiredness, loss of appetite, and sore throat. Abdominal pain and distension may occur. Vomiting, which may occur toward the end of the first week, is not usually severe. Diarrhea is infrequent; constipation occurs more often than diarrhea. A fever develops which rises a little each day until it is around 104 degrees Fahrenheit or more. The persons pulse is often slow relative to the degree of fever present and gets slower as the fever rises, unlike a normal fever where the pulse increases. In the second week, the high fever and slow pulse continue and a few pink spots may appear on the body. Trembling, delirium, weakness, weight loss and dehydration are other symptoms.

Pea soup diarrhea may occur. Abdominal pain and distension may be increased. If there are no further complications, the fever and other symptoms will slowly diminish during the third week. However, typhoid is a very dangerous infection and an infected individual must get medical help as soon as possible, because pneumonia or peritonitis (perforated bowel) are common complications. Diagnosis comes from isolation of Salmonella typhi from the blood or stool of an infected person.

The best protection is to avoid consuming food or water that may be contaminated. For foreign travelers, drinking only boiled water or carbonated beverages and eating only cooked food, lowers the risk of infection.

The fever should be treated by keeping the ...