Traveler’s Diarrhea Prevention – Holiday Travel Deals

How can you prevent traveler’s diarrhea?

Prevention is often difficult, but certain recommendations can be made to prevent traveler’s diarrhea as well as all other intestinal infections. Here are some drink and food precautions to follow while travelling:

Avoid eating fruit that you cannot peel.
Avoid eating raw seafood, meat or vegetables.
Avoid eating food that is not adequately cooked and served piping hot. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), hamburger meat for instance should be cooked so that the internal temperature of the patty is 71 degree Celsius. For the consumer, this means hamburger should be cooked until it is grey/brown throughout and not oozing blood.
Avoid drinking beverages that are not boiled, packaged or bottled. Also avoid putting ice in beverages. Freezing does not kill many viruses or bacteria.
Ice cream and milk products from unreliable sources are a frequent source of intestinal infections. If in doubt, avoid it. Do not drink milk unless it has been pasteurized or boiled.

Some antibiotics taken as a single daily dose, such as doxycycline (100 mg), cotrimoxazole (double strength), ciprofloxacin (500 mg) and norfloxacin (400 mg) have been shown to reduce the incidence of traveler’s diarrhea.

However, because of the calculable risk of adverse reactions of administrating prophylactic antibiotics to several million travelers annually and the generally self-limiting course of traveler’s diarrhea, prophylactic antibiotics are not routinely recommended. It is best to be discerning in selecting beverages and dining establishments while traveling in unsanitary environments.

This information is meant as a general guideline. You must consult a doctor, especially if symptoms persist more than a few days or are associated with high fever, vomiting or dizziness, if diarrhea is voluminous or if there is blood in your stool.