What's this?

Typhoid fever is an infectious feverish disease with severe symptoms in the digestive system in the second phase of the illness.

Sounds good so far.

Classic typhoid fever is a serious disease. It can be life-threatening, but antibiotics are an effective treatment. The disease lasts several weeks and convalescence takes some time.

Do you think they have antibiotics in the caves of Afghanistan or Pakistan? Because I'm guessing that might be tricky.

The disease is transmitted from human to human via food or drinking water, and it is therefore mainly hygiene and sanitary conditions that determine its spread. It is primarily for this reason that it is no longer so commonly seen in Europe.

Bad hygiene you say? Well, I, for one, am shocked at the very suggestion.

You can read all the details here, but here is where it starts to get good:

2nd phase: in the second to third weeks of the disease, symptoms of intestinal infection are manifested and the fever remains very high and the pulse becomes weak and rapid. In the third week the constipation is replaced by severe pea-soup-like diarrhoea. The faeces may also contain blood. It is not until the fourth or fifth week that the fever drops and the general condition slowly improves

Unless, of course, you never got those antibiotics.

Intestinal perforation or profuse bleeding from the intestinal mucosa may occur if typhoid fever is left untreated.

Ouch, that sounds bad.

If Osama turns up dead, you can all thank me, because I have been faithfully praying to God to strike this evil man down. Or, should I say, you can Thank God. And go to church and show him a bit of gratitude.