Child at Massachusetts daycare diagnosed with typhoid fever

QUINCY, Mass. – A Massachusetts child care centre has shut down temporarily after a child was diagnosed with typhoid fever, which is rare in the U.S.

The state Department of Public Health confirms that one child who attends the Bright Horizons Daycare in Quincy has come down the disease.

A spokeswoman for the daycare says the facility was closed Wednesday and Thursday so staff and students who shared a classroom with the ill student could be tested.

The sick child had recently travelled abroad.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 5,700 cases of typhoid fever occur in the U.S. per year, and about three-quarters of those are acquired during overseas travel.

Symptoms include a high fever, weakness, stomach pains, headache, rash and appetite loss. It is treated with antibiotics.