If you have ever had to deal with stomach problems while traveling, you know how troublesome it is. The condition commonly known as „traveler’s diarrhea” affects approximately 30-50% of all travelers to tropical countries (Asia and Oceania, Africa, South America). This percentage increases with the length of stay. The condition is so common in some places around the world that it has been given a local name. So, in Egypt we have the Pharaoh’s Revenge, in India we have Delhi – Belly. In Mexico we have Montezuma’s Revenge or the Gringo’s Gallop. Nice, fancy, ingenuously.
What is traveler’s diarrhea?
Travelers’ diarrhea is actually a range of afflictions caused by various types of pathogens. The most common infection is bacterial, less often viral and protozoal. According to information from many medical portals, E. Coli and Salmonella bacteria are mainly responsible for our infection.
As is often the case with food poisoning, in addition to diarrhea, you can expect vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and flatulence. Fever and muscle pain may also occur. You can become infected with water contaminated with microorganisms (e.g. ice cubes in a drink) or poorly prepared food. These omissions can cost you several days of recovery, so in this post I’ll show you (based on my experience) how to recover in the shortest possible time, and what shouldn’t be missing from your travel first aid kit.
Traveler’s diarrhea – how to prepare for it? First: analysis
Depending on the length of your trip, you should buy enough medicines to last you at least 4-5 days of illness. If necessary, there is always the option of looking for a pharmacy locally. This won’t be a big problem in Asia. There are a lot of pharmacies in cities and they are quite well stocked. But in Africa you may have a problem. You have to approach the situation individually and make a decision. If necessary, do you decide to look for medicines locally or do you come prepared? When doing so, take into account:
- Availability of medicines and pharmacies in the selected country,
- Appropriate storage of medicines (some should be kept in the fridge or below a certain temperature given on the leaflet. Otherwise, they lose their properties. Ask yourself, if when traveling with a backpack, you will be able to maintain the appropriate temperature of medicines?)
- Consider that it may be too late and illness will prevent you from seeking rescue. If you’re making the trip alone, how will you look for a pharmacy if you can’t leave the toilet for 10 meters? Or worse, don’t have the strength to do so?
- In which luggage should you keep your first aid kit and how much space will it take? What if I lose my luggage?
Second: Medicines and antibiotics
I am a supporter of fully preparing my first aid kit for a trip. When traveling, I don’t feel like looking for pharmacies and explaining my ailments.
The first thing you should do is go to your travel doctor or family doctor and ask for an antibiotic. In my case, XIFAXAN turned out to be effective. The drug put me and my husband back on my feet within two days after severe poisoning in Cambodia. Within half an hour of taking the drug, I felt relief. After another two hours, all the discomfort was gone. What remained was weakness, dehydration, a squeezed stomach (Of course, I am informing you how it was in my case, I absolutely will not guarantee the same effect to anyone. You may get a viral infection, for which antibiotics will not help).
We took the medicine for two days, every 8 hours. The infection started with my husband, and after a few hours I felt relieved that the disease had passed me by. Around 2 a.m. I woke up and subconsciously knew that it hadn’t passed me. In this case, the most important thing is to react quickly.
Alternatives
If for some reason you don’t use an antibiotic, an alternative is Nifuroksazide, available over the counter. Both drugs have antibacterial properties (although an antibiotic will always be more effective, it does not mean that you will get rid of diarrhea immediately)
Another drug in the first aid kit is Loperamide. No, it won’t help. It will „clog” you, but it will not kill the pathogens in your body, which will continue to multiply. This drug has a real benefits only if, despite your illness, you have to move around, like take the bus, train, fly on a plane and don’t want to have constant visits to the toilet. It is an backup drug, that should only be used in emergencies.
Third: Supplements
Electrolytes, although for many they may seem unnecessary, are extremely important in the treatment process. Poor condition after traveler’s diarrhea is primarily caused by dehydration. Electrolytes affect the functioning of our entire body, from the brain to the heart and muscles. If, as a result of an illness, we wash out the most important elements from the body, i.e. sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium, the recovery process is much longer.
Probiotics, according to the WHO definition, are „preparations of food products containing single or mixed cultures of live microorganisms that have a beneficial effect on health”. In traveler’s diarrhea, they are generally recommended prophylactically, but it is best to consult a doctor. I didn’t take probiotics, and my doctor didn’t suggest it to me either (even as a cover for an antibiotic). I don’t have stomach problems, and my diet is rich in natural probiotics, so I didn’t see a need. The decision to take them should be considered individually. There are no contraindications to prophylactic use before a trip, and they can reduce the risk of illness.
Fourth: Food
When the symptoms subside, you should eat something. And I know that this is usually the last thing on the patient’s mind, but it is necessary. Eating is also healing! And here I’ll frankly admit that completely by accident, while traveling in Asia, I surprised myself.
I decided to rent an apartment to a friend, because I was going away for a long time. While preparing the apartment and cleaning the kitchen cabinets, I found jelly desserts (kissels). And not knowing what to do with them, I took them with me. They tasted great after a whole day of suffering!
It was a real paradise for me and, most importantly, for the stomach. As it turned out, the jelly is a great protective product. When staying in a hotel, you usually have access to boiling water, so preparing it should not be a big challenge (even with your poor condition when you are sick). You can always ask someone to prepare it. To complete the post-sickness feast, I recommend crackers or other biscuits that are safe for the stomach. You can always buy them in the store or simply keep them in your luggage. They won’t take up much space, and if you don’t need them in your treatment, you can eat them anyway.
Traveler’s diarrhea – other tips
- Wash your hands before meals, after touching cash, doorkhandles, phone. Hand sanitizer is sure to come in handy,
- Brush your teeth with bottled or boiled water,
- When cooking food yourself, separate raw food from cooked food and protect your kitchen from contact with insects and animals,
- Follow the rule: Boil, brew, peel or forget.
„Dirty Hands Diseases”
Travelers’ diarrhea can be one of the milder diseases we can contract. Diarrheal diseases, that is, those transmitted by food, in extreme cases can lead to severe health consequences, even death. These include, for example:
- Hepatitis type A, E,
- Cholera
- Typhoid
- Amoebiasis
In severe and long-term cases of the disease, when self-treatment while traveling does not bring results, specialist help will be necessary. it is necessary to contact the insurance company, which will direct to the doctor or a private visit, where the specialist will make a diagnosis and undertake further treatment!
If you are curious about how my Asian adventure began, check out the article about preparations for my trip to Vietnam. The topic of health in Asia is also discussed there.
