Traveller?s Diarrhoea Traveller?s Enemy

The place is ideal for your preference, all the things you need are packed and with you, camera is full-charged and so ready to capture special moments and other important events, and the whole vibe is great, but the only factor in bad shape is YOU. Travelling is a great experience for anyone; it can be a venture to be audacious and discover new things, get in touch with new environment and people, a very important affair, or anything that is worth spending your time for, but in the event that there a big wall of hindrance blocks your productivity and enjoyment, it will surely ruin everything.

Say for an example, the traveller’s diarrhoea, it is the most common illness attacking backpackers from developed countries spending a matter of days or weeks in developing parts of the world, and regarded as every traveller’s enemy, thinking that the risk is very high (estimates vary from 30 to 80% of travelers).

So, what is diarrhoea or traveller’s diarrhoea in the first place? Well basically, this condition is characterized by increased frequency of loose bowel movements or stools in 24-hour period matched with abdominal cramps, bloating, toilet urgencies, nausea, vomiting, mild fever and even blood in stools for some serious cases (or dysentery). It is acquired through ingestion of contaminated food or drinks that is spread by poor hygiene. The microorganisms responsible for traveller’s diarrhoea range from bacteria to viruses to parasites, and they are the following: Escherichia coli (E. coli)—which is the primary cause of this illness approximates 40% of all cases, Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Rotavirus, Norovirus and Giardia.

The reason why travelers from industrialized or developed countries are more prone to this illness is because of the drastic and rapid change in the type of organisms in their gastrointestinal tract, wherein these organisms responsible for TD is basically alien to them since they are not present in the environment they are used to. Meanwhile, developing countries, which are the high-risk areas, such as Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Central and Southern America find these organisms harmless, which can be presumably because they have gained immunity on them.

Because of this kind of case, remember that prevention is your best weapon. Equip yourself with enough knowledge you’ll need to protect yourself, practice the basics yet important principle of good hygiene, and see to it to cook your food properly especially the meats, poultry and seafood, handle and prepare the foods properly, and avoid risky foods and risky areas to eat. It is also important that you pack antimotility medications, oral rehydration solutions and antibiotics along with you just to prepare when the sudden onset of traveller’s diarrhoea occurs.