Dysentery
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
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 Fahrenh