Typhoid Fever in Children: a Forgotten Disease?

All indexed cases of typhoid fever occurring in children over a ten-year period in Jacksonville, Fla, were studied retrospectively. This review revealed that anorexia was the most common gastrointestinal complaint and that neurologic symptoms and signs were nearly as common as gastrointestinal signs. There was a significant delay in diagnosis in most cases because typhoid fever was not included in the differential diagnosis upon admission. This is probably due to the decline in the incidence of typhoid fever in the United States and the resultant lowering of the index of suspicion for the disease on the part of physicians in general. Representative cases are presented in detail.