{"id":407,"date":"2013-12-18T11:20:21","date_gmt":"2013-12-18T16:20:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/?page_id=407"},"modified":"2014-08-06T10:56:43","modified_gmt":"2014-08-06T15:56:43","slug":"what-you-need-to-know-about-travellers-diarrhea","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/patient-advice\/what-you-need-to-know-about-travellers-diarrhea\/","title":{"rendered":"Traveller&#8217;s Diarrhea"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>What is travellers\u2019 diarrhea?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Travellers\u2019 diarrhea is the most common illness that affects travellers. It is easily spread from person-to-person or by eating food or drinking water contaminated with feces.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cause<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Many different bacteria (including <i>E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter<\/i>), parasites (<i>Giardia, Crytosporidium, Cyclospora<\/i> and others) and viruses (such as <i>norovirus <\/i>and <i>rotavirus<\/i>).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Risk to travellers<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Travellers are at higher risk when going to destinations with poor standards of hygiene and sanitation and poor food handling practises.<\/li>\n<li>Travellers\u2019 diarrhea most commonly affects people travelling from developed countries to developing regions of the world.<\/li>\n<li>Severity depends on which bacteria, parasite or virus has caused the illness.<\/li>\n<li>Most episodes of diarrhea are not severe and last only a few days.<\/li>\n<li>Travellers with chronic diseases or weakened immune systems face a higher risk of complications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Prevention<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0Pack a thermometer and medicine to treat diarrhea. Talk to your pharmacist about what medicine is right for you.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Before you travel, talk to your doctor about antibiotics. Many people bring antibiotics with them in case they get seriously\u00a0ill. A few people need to take medication to prevent diarrhea from happening at all.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Be careful when you eat and drink. Remember the saying, \u201cBoil it, cook it, peel it or forget it.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Only eat or drink things that are not likely to make you sick. These are:\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 piping hot foods<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 fruit you peel yourself<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 cooked vegetables<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 carbonated beverages (with no ice cubes)<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 boiled or bottled water<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 pasteurized milk (properly stored)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Avoid foods that will likely make you sick. These include:\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 buffet foods at room temperature<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 fresh soft cheese<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 food from street vendors<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 cold salads<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 raw vegetables<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 uncooked\/cold sauces<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 unpeeled fruit<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 raspberries, strawberries, watermelon<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ice cubes<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 undercooked meat or fish<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 shellfish<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 large reef fish such as snapper, barracuda, grouper, jack and Moray eel<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 custard, mousse, mayonnaise and hollandaise sauce<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Wash your hands, especially before you eat.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid swallowing water while swimming.<\/li>\n<li><b>Do not<\/b> drink local water.<\/li>\n<li>Drink bottled beverages from their original containers. Make sure the cap is properly sealed.<\/li>\n<li>Talk to your pharmacist about what to do if you have diarrhea while you are away.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6>Minor Ailments.\u00a0 \u00a9 Canadian Pharmacists Association, 2013.\u00a0 All rights reserved.<\/h6>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;\">Treatment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The most important treatment is rehydration:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For most adults with mild travellers\u2019 diarrhea, hydration can be\u00a0maintained with safe liquids including diluted juices or sports drinks,\u00a0purified water, or clear salty soups.<\/li>\n<li>In moderate to severe cases, oral\u00a0rehydration solutions should be considered, in particular in\u00a0children and the elderly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In some cases anti-motility medication (for abdominal pain) may provide some relief of symptoms and allow travellers to continue their activities.<\/p>\n<p>Your health care provider may discuss self treatment using antibiotics for one to three days.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Symptoms<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Usually include fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping and\u00a0diarrhea.<\/li>\n<li>Generally, the symptoms go away in a few days without treatment.<\/li>\n<li>In more severe cases, traveller\u2019s diarrhea can lead to dehydration and death. This is a particular concern for children, the elderly and individuals with chronic diseases or weakened immune systems.<\/li>\n<li>If you have blood in your stool, you should seek medical attention\u00a0even if your other symptoms are not very severe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Transmission<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Travellers\u2019 diarrhea is spread by eating or drinking contaminated\u00a0food and\/or water.<\/li>\n<li>Travellers who visit areas with poor standards of hygiene and sanitation are at greater risk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Where is travellers\u2019 diarrhea a concern?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The risk of travellers\u2019 diarrhea occurs worldwide.<\/li>\n<li>High risk destinations include developing countries in Central and\u00a0South America, Mexico, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.<\/li>\n<li>There is a moderate risk in Eastern Europe, South Africa and some\u00a0parts of the Caribbean.<\/li>\n<li>The risk is lower in northern and western Europe, Australia, New\u00a0Zealand, Japan, the United States and Canada.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6>http:\/\/travel.gc.ca\/travelling\/health-safety\/diseases\/diarrhea<\/h6>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/The-Prescription-Shop\/127301584106758\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-511\" src=\"http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/facebook-150x150.png\" alt=\"Facebook\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/facebook-150x150.png 150w, http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/facebook.png 225w, http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/facebook-100x100.png 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 48px) 100vw, 48px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/carletonrxshop\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-512\" src=\"http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Twitter-150x150.png\" alt=\"Twitter\" width=\"58\" height=\"58\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Twitter-150x150.png 150w, http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Twitter.png 225w, http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Twitter-100x100.png 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 58px) 100vw, 58px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is travellers\u2019 diarrhea? Travellers\u2019 diarrhea is the most common illness that affects travellers. It is easily spread from person-to-person or by eating food or drinking water contaminated with feces. Cause Many different bacteria (including E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter), parasites (Giardia, Crytosporidium, Cyclospora and others) and viruses (such as norovirus and rotavirus). Risk to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":234,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-407","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":589,"href":"http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/407\/revisions\/589"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prescriptionshop.ca\/rxshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}