COMMON TRAVEL DIARRHOEA TRIGGERS
- Infection from E.coli or Salmonella caused by
- - contaminated food or water
- - food that has gone ‘off’
- - poor hygiene e.g. - not washing hands before preparing food
- - toxins from food dishes, mainly rice, if left standing for too long
- Change in diet
- Increased alcohol consumption
- Hot weather
- Stress
Travel tummy woes
Whether you’ve got a busy business meeting in Brussels, you’re exploring the bustling markets of Marrakech or getting away from it all on a secluded beach in Copacabana, the last thing you want is to be caught with tummy troubles abroad.
It has been estimated that every year more than 5 million people (some 40% of travellers) from the UK1,2 alone suffer from travellers’ diarrhoea (TD), particularly those visiting developing countries or high-risk ‘exotic’ destinations. Symptoms can include cramps, nausea, bloating and diarrhoea, which as well as being distressing can have a ‘financial cost’, eating into precious holiday or business time. Who of us wants to be suffering these problems when we could be relaxing and making the most of our time away.
Reference :
1. Al-Abri S et al. Lancet Infec Dis 2005;5 (6):349-60
2. National Statistics. Travel Trends. A report on the 2005 International Passenger
Discover the secret to a happy travel tummy
Your body’s natural defence against ‘foreign tummy bugs’ is the good bacteria in your gut. However whilst abroad, local drinks, climate and even the stress of travelling itself can affect your normal bacterial balance making you more vulnerable to ‘bad’ bacteria. Most people rely on measures they can take once the problem has occurred. But is there another opproach?
