Travel tips

One of the most common reasons why travelers get sick is because they eat contaminated food or drink unsafe water. This typically results in unpleasant, yet not serious, symptoms like short-term travellers' diarrhoea. However, in some cases, more serious complications can occur, including food poisoning, severe infections, and dehydration.

Food poisoning

You can get food poisoning by eating food in which bacteria have produced harmful substances. The symptoms of food poisoning are caused by these substances. The symptoms are usually short but intense and often begin quickly (within 12 hours) after eating the contaminated food: sudden nausea and vomiting, and sometimes one or a few episodes of diarrhoea, but no fever. This travellers' diarrhoea usually goes away quickly. If diarrhoea does not go away within a few days, you should see a doctor. Certain foods are at risk if they are not properly prepared (cooked enough) or stored (kept cool), such as meat, chicken, rice, sauces, and canned food.

Infections

More severe infections that you can get from food, drinking water, and swimming water include typhoid fever, cholera, salmonella, shigella, amoebic dysentery, and hepatitis A (liver inflammation). Diarrhoea that does not go away within a few days, or that is accompanied by fever or blood/mucus in your stools, should always be taken seriously: see a doctor. For more information about these infections, please check the health risks.

Dehydration

When diarrhea lasts for a while, there is always a risk of dehydration because you lose a lot of fluids. This is especially true for small children, as they can become dehydrated very quickly. Therefore, always pay attention to drinking enough fluids when you have diarrhea.

Here are some tips:

• If you don’t trust the drinking water, only drink water from sealed or closed bottles. Always choose ‘bottled water’ or boil the water before drinking it. This also applies to milk.
• Do not accept open bottles in a restaurant.
• Remember that ice cubes are made from water and salads are washed in water.
• Eat as little fish and shellfish as possible.
• Do not eat raw meat and make sure any meat you eat is well-cooked.
• Make sure your food has not been outside the fridge for too long or is stored for too long.
• Be careful with salads and other raw products.
• Only eat packaged ice, not homemade ice.
• Avoid food from street food stalls.
• Bring oral rehydration salts (ORS); this mixture, when mixed with water, helps prevent dehydration.
• The most important tip is also the simplest: wash your hands before using the toilet, after using the toilet, and always before eating.