We’ve all heard the stories: a friend or relative goes on a trip to some beautiful destination, only to spend the entire trip experiencing flu-like symptoms, unable to stray far from a bathroom. What is it about foreign countries that makes this such a common occurrence?
The problem is almost entirely access to clean water and the secondary issues that arise because of this. While the US and other heavily developed countries have relatively clean water supplies, most of the world’s population does not. Water is contaminated with bacteria, viruses, and chemical impurities. Since our bodily systems are used to clean water, we haven’t developed the internal resources needed to stay healthy when we are exposed to these hazards.
Some areas are more prone to problems than others. Many Americans are familiar with the cautions about drinking water in Mexico, for instance. Most of the undeveloped world has water and food cleanliness issues. Almost all of Africa, South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and the southern half of Asia are classified as high-risk for cleanliness. Eastern Europe, northern Asia, Japan, South Africa, and a few other select countries are classified as medium-risk. Only the US, Canada, Australia, and most of Western Europe are considered low-risk areas.
The most common result of exposure to unclean water is traveler’s diarrhea. Within about two to three days of bacterial or viral infection, the traveler gets diarrhea and many other symptoms of flu. The body is fighting a battle against the bacteria or virus in question. This bacteria is usually something like E. coli, giardia, or Hepatitis A. After about a week, the symptoms go away in most cases, though some infections will carry life-long symptoms and side-effects.
The most common suspect when one experiences traveler’s diarrhea is water, consumed either directly (a glass of water) or indirectly (ice added to a drink, water used to rinse food items, etc.). Since water is used in so many aspects of daily life, a contaminated water supply is nearly impossible to avoid entirely. Taking a shower, brushing teeth, and swimming with unclean water also commonly leads to infection. Water that has been chlorinated to US standards us considered very safe, but many places do not properly or consistently chlorinate their water.
Raw food is another common source of infection. Since most foods are rinsed prior to being served, bacteria and viruses in the water supply will be left directly on the food surface. The only way to avoid this is to eat foods that are fully cooked and still hot; this will kill any bacteria on the food. Street vendors are also a high-risk source of contaminated food.
Another (though less common) source of infection is insect bites. Mosquitos, fleas, and ticks carry several infectious diseases such as malaria. To prevent insect bites, the CDC recommends insect repellants containing DEET.
Now the good news. First and foremost, most diseases from high-risk areas pass without long-term problems. Most that do carry long-term effects can be vaccinated against. It is fairly simple to be properly vaccinated prior to travel. Talk to your doctor about six to eight weeks prior to your trip, and you can avoid many problems.
As for bacterial infections, well, there’s not much you can do. If you travel once every few years, you are probably going to have to deal with traveler’s diarrhea on many, if not all, trips. Frequent travelers, however, are less likely to have problems. Why? Because the body adapts to the environment it is exposed to. Note that people living in high-risk areas are rarely sick the way tourists are. The more you travel, the more resilient your immune system is to the daily infections that are common throughout the world. I’ve mentioned before the importance I place on exposing yourself to the environment rather than trying to avoid exposure. If you travel often, like I do, this approach pays off well. Developing a strong immune system is of great value when traveling anywhere outside your
home town.
Travel well. Take the proper precautions. Get your vaccinations and be careful of what you eat. And enjoy the trip!
Resources:
- Travelers’ Health [www.cdc.gov]
- Questions and Answers about Travelers’ Health [www.cdc.gov]
- The Yellow Book [www.cdc.gov]
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From the editor
As always, I am curious what you would like to know more about. Feel free to email questions using the feedback link below. If your suggestion peaks my interest, I’ll write an article just for you. Several past articles come from reader suggestions.
Healthy thoughts,
Jeff
