Diseases beginning with T
U.S.-focused summaries with current official guidance links. For a diagnosis, personal vaccine schedule, pregnancy advice, or urgent symptoms, speak with a qualified clinician.
Tetanus
Routine vaccineDisease
A toxin-mediated disease caused when Clostridium tetani spores enter a wound; it does not spread person to person.
Symptoms
Jaw cramping, painful muscle stiffness and spasms, trouble swallowing or breathing, fever, sweating, and blood-pressure changes.
Typical duration
Symptoms often begin three to 21 days after exposure; recovery can take months.
How serious is it?
A life-threatening emergency that can cause breathing failure, fractures, pneumonia, and death.
Treatment & management
Immediate hospital care may include immune globulin, wound care, antibiotics, spasm control, airway support, and vaccination.
Vaccine: who and when?
Products include Daptacel and Infanrix (DTaP) for children, Boostrix and Adacel (Tdap), and Tenivac (Td), plus several combination vaccines. Adults generally need a Td or Tdap booster every 10 years; Tdap is recommended during every pregnancy, and wound management can require earlier vaccination.
Tick-borne Encephalitis
Travel vaccineDisease
A virus spread by ticks in parts of Europe and Asia, and occasionally through unpasteurized dairy products.
Symptoms
Some develop fever, fatigue, headache, nausea, or muscle aches followed by meningitis or encephalitis.
Typical duration
Illness may occur in two phases over several weeks; neurologic effects can persist.
How serious is it?
Can cause seizures, paralysis, lasting neurologic problems, or death.
Treatment & management
No specific antiviral; severe neurologic disease requires hospital supportive care.
Vaccine: who and when?
Product: TICOVAC, a three-dose vaccine for eligible travelers and laboratory workers. Dose timing differs for ages 1-15 and 16 and older; accelerated spacing and boosters may be used when continued risk exists, so the travel schedule should be planned with a clinician.
Check the current CDC guidance for Tick-borne Encephalitis →
Tuberculosis (TB)
Selected-use vaccineDisease
A bacterial infection spread through the air that most often affects the lungs; infection may be inactive or active.
Symptoms
Active lung TB can cause a cough lasting three weeks or longer, chest pain, coughing blood, weight loss, fever, or night sweats.
Typical duration
Untreated infection can persist for years; treatment lasts months and must be completed.
How serious is it?
Active TB can damage lungs, spread to other organs, and be fatal; drug-resistant TB is harder to treat.
Treatment & management
A combination of antibiotics is selected by clinicians and public health; missing doses can cause resistance.
Vaccine: who and when?
Product: BCG vaccine. It is not generally used in the United States because TB risk is low, protection varies, and it can complicate interpretation of tuberculin skin tests. It may be considered for selected children with unavoidable ongoing exposure after consultation with TB experts.
Typhoid Fever
Travel vaccineDisease
A potentially life-threatening infection caused by Salmonella Typhi, usually from contaminated food or water.
Symptoms
Prolonged high fever, weakness, stomach pain, headache, cough, constipation or diarrhea, and sometimes a rash.
Typical duration
Symptoms can last weeks; relapse or long-term bacterial carriage can occur.
How serious is it?
Without treatment it can cause intestinal bleeding or perforation, brain dysfunction, and death.
Treatment & management
Antibiotics are required; resistance patterns affect drug choice. Hydration and follow-up testing may be needed.
Vaccine: who and when?
Products: Typhim Vi, one injectable dose at least two weeks before exposure for ages 2 and older, with a booster every two years for continued risk; and Vivotif, four oral capsules on alternating days completed at least one week before exposure for ages 6 and older, with a booster series every five years for continued risk.
Last reviewed against official U.S. sources: September 5, 2026. This page provides general education, not medical advice.