Some bacteria which cause diarrhoea, can invade the bowel wall and spread into the blood stream resulting in septicaemia. Septicaemia usually complicates diarrhoea with infections caused by Salmonella, Shigella and Campylobacter. Septicaemia is commoner in dysentery than in watery diarrhoea.
Typhoid is a septicaemia caused by a bowel infection with Salmonella typhi. These children are very ill and may die if not treated early with antibiotics.
Children with typhoid may appear severely ill and toxic with only mild diarrhoea or no diarrhoea at all.