Typhoid fever in the Czech Republic and an imported case after return from the Rainbow Gathering in Italy.

Typhoid fever is a disease caused by the highly virulent bacterium Salmonella Typhi. It is transmitted by the oral-faecal route. In the Czech Republic, 53 cases of typhoid fever were reported in 1997-2017. Only seven of these cases were autochthonous. In August 2017, an imported case of typhoid fever was recorded in a 25-year-old unvaccinated woman who participated in the Rainbow Gathering in Italy one week prior to the onset of the disease. During her stay in Italy, she slept in a tent, ate her own food, and drank unboiled water. Presenting with persisting cough, tiredness, muscle and joint pain, and fever up to 40 °C after her return, she was admitted to the Třebíč Hospital where she was diagnosed with S. Typhi. The epidemiological investigation identified six contacts. On discharge from hospital and at follow-up, the patient was tested negative. None of the contacts became ill.