What Is Gaol Fever?

The answer is that gaol fever was typhus, a disease caused by bacteria spreading through the bites of lice and fleas. The infection causes headache, fever and a rash of red spots. It arrived in Europe in the 15th century, and there was a fearful epidemic in 1557-59.

What is typhus and how do you get it?

Typhus is a disease caused by rickettsia or orientia bacteria. You can get it from infected mites, fleas, or lice. Modern hygiene has mostly stopped typhus, but it can still happen in places where basic sanitation is bad or if it gets passed on by an infected animal.

What does typhus do to the human body?

Endemic typhus symptoms can include rash that begins on the body trunk and spreads, high fever, nausea, malaise, diarrhea, and vomiting. Epidemic typhus has similar but more severe symptoms, including bleeding into the skin, delirium, hypotension, and death.