SOMETHING FOR THE PUBLIC HEALTH PEOPLE TO WORK ON THAT’S MORE SALIENT THAN GUNS AND BIG GULPS: San Francisco Threatened By Typhoid Fever. “Antibiotics are used to treat typhoid, which may last up to two weeks even with treatment. If left untreated, up to 20 percent of patients may die and the illness may last for months. It is important to finish the course of treatment because patients remain contagious after symptoms disappear. There is a typhoid vaccine available for travelers to regions where the illness is common.”