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Travelers' diarrhea is the most common travel-related illness. It can occur anywhere, but the highest-risk destinations are in Asia (except for Japan and South Korea) as well as the Middle East, Africa, Mexico, and Central and South America.
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Causes
- Risk Factors
- Complications
- Prevention
Traveler's diarrhea is a digestive tract disorder that commonly causes loose stools and stomach cramps. It's caused by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water. Fortunately, traveler's diarrhea usually isn't serious in most people — it's just unpleasant. When you visit a place where the climate or sanitary practices are different fro...
Traveler's diarrhea may begin suddenly during your trip or shortly after you return home. Most people improve within 1 to 2 days without treatment and recover completely within a week. However, you can have multiple episodes of traveler's diarrhea during one trip. The most common symptoms of traveler's diarrhea are: 1. Suddenly passing three or mor...
It's possible that traveler's diarrhea may stem from the stress of traveling or a change in diet. But usually infectious agents — such as bacteria, viruses or parasites — are to blame. You typically develop traveler's diarrhea after ingesting food or water contaminated with organisms from feces. So why aren't natives of high-risk countries affected...
Each year millions of international travelers experience traveler's diarrhea. High-risk destinations for traveler's diarrhea include areas of: 1. Central America. 2. South America. 3. Mexico. 4. Africa. 5. South Asia and Southeast Asia. Traveling to Eastern Europe, South Africa, Central and East Asia, the Middle East, and a few Caribbean islands al...
Because you lose vital fluids, salts and minerals during a bout with traveler's diarrhea, you may become dehydrated, especially during the summer months. Dehydration is especially dangerous for children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems. Dehydration caused by diarrhea can cause serious complications, including organ damage, shoc...
Watch what you eat
The general rule of thumb when traveling to another country is this: Boil it, cook it, peel it or forget it. But it's still possible to get sick even if you follow these rules. Other tips that may help decrease your risk of getting sick include: 1. Don't consume food from street vendors. 2. Don't consume unpasteurized milk and dairy products, including ice cream. 3. Don't eat raw or undercooked meat, fish and shellfish. 4. Don't eat moist food at room temperature, such as sauces and buffet of...
Don't drink the water
When visiting high-risk areas, keep the following tips in mind: 1. Don't drink unsterilized water — from tap, well or stream. If you need to consume local water, boil it for three minutes. Let the water cool naturally and store it in a clean covered container. 2. Don't use locally made ice cubes or drink mixed fruit juices made with tap water. 3. Beware of sliced fruit that may have been washed in contaminated water. 4. Use bottled or boiled water to mix baby formula. 5. Order hot beverages,...
Follow additional tips
Here are other ways to reduce your risk of traveler's diarrhea: 1. Make sure dishes and utensils are clean and dry before using them. 2. Wash your hands often and always before eating. If washing isn't possible, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol to clean your hands before eating. 3. Seek out food items that require little handling in preparation. 4. Keep children from putting things — including their dirty hands — in their mouths. If possible, keep infants from cra...
Travelers’ diarrhea (TD) is the most predictable travel-related illness. Attack rates range from 30%–70% of travelers during a 2-week period, depending on the destination and season of travel.
Aug 18, 2021 · The typical symptoms of traveler's diarrhea include: Abrupt onset of diarrhea. Fever. Nausea and vomiting. Bloating. Urgent need to have a bowel movement. Malaise (weakness or discomfort)...
Feb 26, 2024 · Travelers' diarrhea is the most common illness in persons traveling from resource-rich to resource-limited regions of the world [ 1,2 ]. Among travelers to such areas, 40 to 60 percent develop diarrhea [ 3 ].
Jun 1, 2005 · The classic definition of traveler’s diarrhea is three or more unformed stools in 24 hours with at least one of the following symptoms: fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, tenesmus, or...
Travelers' diarrhea (TD) is a stomach and intestinal infection. TD is defined as the passage of unformed stool (one or more by some definitions, three or more by others) while traveling. It may be accompanied by abdominal cramps, nausea, fever, headache and bloating.
