Guest Author - Linda Hamill

Do you ever get abrupt severe attacks of bloating, cramps, nausea, and possible vomiting while on vacation, or after you return home from vacation? Then welcome to the Traveler’s Diarrhea Club! Even though you may not want to subscribe to this club, we welcome you as a miserable sufferer and encourage your recovery.

Traveler’s Diarrhea is a gastrointestinal ailment that affects 20 to 50% of tourists each year. Unfortunately, I am in the club and it is miserable. It is a very acute virus that lasts about 7 days! As for myself, mine began on the trip heading home and I have never been so sick in my life. Having GERD and this virus at the same time was horrible!

What causes this virus you ask? Contamination of food, water, raw fish, raw fruits and vegetables are the main cause. How do they get contaminated? Usually, it is from incorrect dishwashing and very bad food handling. This happens in private homes, restaurants, and food vendors. E-Coli is the culprit, and not only is transferred by food and hands, but can also be found in campgrounds, military camps, and overcrowded institutions.

E-Coli is very severe in countries such as Latin America, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean Islands. But, it is in the U.S.A. also. Since 2001, some Cruise Ships have been contaminated where the cruise was ended, and people were sent to hospitals. It was found that food handling is what caused the outbreak of E-Coli.

There are two types of contamination: Rotavirus and the Norwalk Virus. The Rotavirus is found in a patient’s stool. It is usually contamination from food and water. The Norwalk Virus is found in causal contact with others and what they have handled while being contaminated with E-Coli, even though they don’t know that yet. A good example would be inside a casino. All those lovely slot machines and game tables where you can play with those poker chips! The Norwalk Virus can stay on the slot machine buttons or handle or on poker chips if they are contaminated. You come along and decide to play either game, after it has been contaminated. You pick up the virus and you will not know that you have it for awhile. The Norwalk Virus can survive for Several Days on your body or outside of your body and contaminate everything around you very quickly. That is why cruise ships have become infected very quickly.

What can you do about it? When traveling, ONLY drink bottled water and bottle/canned beverages! If you eat fruits, PEEL them, as the virus is on the skin. Do not think that just because it is washed, that the contamination is gone, as it is not. Use sanitary wipes and wipe down any area such as the buttons on a slot machine. Stores carry antibacterial hand cream and soap, and one that comes to my mind is “Soft-soap”. Avon Products, Inc. also has antibacterial soap, hand cream, and lotions and they can be found at www.avon.com. The hand cream is great as it comes in a good size tube that can fit in one’s purse. Make sure that you keep applying it over and over again, so that you will be protected from the virus. Also, remember not to have ice cubes in your cold beverages when visiting other countries. The ice cubes can have a high rate of contamination.

If you feel like you are getting sick, see a doctor. Pepto-Bismol taken every day has helped about 60% of those who are afflicted with Traveler’s Diarrhea. Talk to your doctor as your medications may interfere with Pepto-Bismol. Pepto-Bismol cannot be taken if you have an allergy to aspirin, if you are renal insufficient, gout, or if you are taking heart or cancer medications.

There are side effects to watch out for also. They are: blackening of the tongue and stools, and occasional nausea and constipation.

I can tell you from my experience that the Health Department was shocked to hear that I received E-Coli from a hotel! They did blood work on me and they said that I was showing a type of bacteria from a campground. I was in a town in another state, for a week, in a hotel. As we drove home after 10 days of vacation, I started getting severely ill in the car. I was unfortunate to get the bacteria from the room we stayed in. Nobody else received the virus, except me. My statement is to introduce you to these bacteria’s and be aware of how you can get them, so that you can protect yourselves. Doctors can give some shots to protect you when you visit another country. Did I mention that money is one of the worst ways to transfer bacteria?
Be careful out there and stay well. Happy Traveling!