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When you travel, be it for pleasure,
business or any other reason, contaminated food and drink are often a serious
threat to health. In particular, diarrhea affects a great number of travelers.
Physical pain and discomfort, along with the problem of finding suitable medical
treatment, especially when there are language barriers, can spoil your entire
stay away from home.
This leaflet gives some practical advice
and basic hints on how to eat safely, and what to do if you get diarrhea.
Observation of the advice given in this
leaflet is of particular importance for vulnerable groups, i.e. infants and
children, the elderly, pregnant women and persons with impaired immune systems.

Before leaving home
 | Consult your physician for advice on the
various diseases to which you may be exposed, and the need for vaccinations or
other preventive measures.
 | Make sure your medical kit contains Oral
Rehydration Salts (ORS) and a water-disinfectant agent. |
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Eating safely
The following recommendations apply
to all situations, from food vendors on the street to expensive hotel
restaurants:
 | Cooked food that has been held at room
temperature for several hours constitutes one of the greatest risks of
foodborne illness. Make sure your food has been thoroughly cooked and
is still hot when served.
 | Avoid any uncooked food, apart from
fruits and vegetables that can be peeled or shelled. Avoid fruits with damaged
skin. Remember the dictum "Cook it, peel it or leave it".
 | Dishes containing raw or undercooked
eggs, such as home-made mayonnaise, some sauces (e.g. hollandaise sauce) and
some desserts (e.g. mousses) may be dangerous.
 | Ice cream from unreliable sources is
frequently contaminated and can cause illness. If in doubt avoid it.
 | In some countries, certain species of
fish and shellfish may contain poisonous biotoxins even when they are well
cooked. Local people can advise you about this.
 | Unpasteurized milk should be boiled
before consumption.
 | When the safety of drinking-water is
doubtful, have it boiled, or if this is not possible, disinfect it with a
reliable, slow-release, disinfectant agent, that are generally available in
pharmacies.
 | Avoid ice unless you are sure that it is
made from safe water.
 | Beverages such as hot tea or coffee,
wine, beer, and carbonated soft drinks or fruit juices which are either
bottled or otherwise packaged are usually safe to drink. |
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What to do if you get diarrhea
 | When there is no medical help available
and there is blood in the stools, a course (5
days) of cotrimoxazole may be taken.
 | Prophylactic use of antibiotics is not
recommended. Antidiarrheals (e.g. loperamide) are not recommended but may be
used, in addition to fluids, by adults only, for symptomatic
relief. They should never be used for children.
 | If there are other symptoms, seek
medical advice. |
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If ORS are not
available, mix 6 level
teaspoons of sugar plus 1 level teaspoon of salt in one liter of safe water.
Drink this as indicated above for ORS.
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Dosage for
cotrimoxazole (trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole):
 | For adults: 160 mg of trimethoprim and
800 mg of suffamethoxazole, twice a day, for 5 days
 | For children: 5 mg of trimethoprim and
25 mg of suffamethoxazole per kg of body weight, twice a day, for 5
days. |
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Source: World
Health Organization
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