Studies presented at the annual International Society of Travel Medicine Conference offer new preventive measures for avoiding the most common travel illness.
When you run a travel medicine clinic in Kathmandu, Nepal, as David R. Shlim, M.D. has done for several years, it’s tough to avoid developing a keen interest traveler’s diarrhea. Why, he asked himself, do 40-50% of the 60 million travelers who travel each year between a developing country and an industrialized one suffer from the disease? Why, too, do children account for most of the 2.2 millions deaths from diarrhea each year?
In a seminar at the 8th annual Conference of the International Society of Travel Medicine, Dr. Shlim presented some interesting findings: In a 1995 study published in The Pediatric Medicine Journal, a number of children under 15 were observed to see how well they followed the dietary maxim: “Boil It, Peel It, Cook It, or Forget It.” Parents can probably guess the result: only about half of the teens followed by researchers could keep up with the suggested dietary rules.
In many other studies, researchers found that over 95% of travelers could not avoid making dietary errors. Other findings led Dr. Shlim to believe that the risks of eating in a restaurant were much greater than dining at home, but he also noted the effect of the season, proximity of flies, and immunity of the individual on the incidence of illness in travelers to developing nations. After further study, he concluded that traveler’s diarrhea may have some genetic basis and for many travelers, is largely unavoidable.
Preventive Strategies & Remedies
TD remains the most common ailment experienced by travelers who have ever been affected by a travel-related illness, according to a 2008 Harris Poll. Fortunately, only about 5% of travelers surveyed reported experiencing any illness on vacation, but of those, 63% reported incidents of diarrhea and 34% reporting stomach cramping and nausea. Dr. Shlim has a few practical tips to minimize the risks of getting it. He recommends that everyone follow the “Boil It, Peel It, Cook It, or Forget It” rule, even in his or her hometown. Additionally, he notes that selecting from a buffet (a much more likely breeding ground for illness) is riskier than ordering freshly prepared hot food. But he admits that several other important factors, including climate, the environment and even a genetic propensity to succumb to the most common bacteria are beyond the control of the diner.
Therefore, Dr. Shlim suggests that all travelers be prepared with medication (ciprofloxacin is a typical antibiotic treatment) prescribed by a physician or with medication prescribed by a pediatrician for children. In his experience, two doses, taken just 12 hours apart, should be administered at the onset of TD to stop the disease immediately. Hydration is especially important for young children while the illness runs it course.
Another medical viewpoint has emerged, one that focuses on strengthening the body’s own immunity to food-borne illnesses. Patricia Raymond, M.D. at Eastern Virginia Medical School, suggests the use of natural probiotics for preventing TD and other intestinal ailments, a home remedy common in Europe and other parts of the world. Dr. Raymond also cautions against anti-diarrheal medications: “Eliminating the diarrhea is important, yes, but stopping it up and keeping the toxins in your intestine for a length of time is not a good idea.”
Dr. Raymond explains, “Try a probiotic supplement for several days before a trip and during the trip. There has been scientific study showing a reduction in travelers’ diarrhea with a Saccharomyces probiotic species, and I’ve actually used the brand Florastor personally for this purpose with success.”
The main problem affecting the development of a vaccine is the fact that there are so many causes of diarrhea and they are all diverse. As the travel patterns of international travelers continues to change, so too do the cases of traveler’s diarrhea, making it increasingly necessary to have a single vaccine. For more information on traveler’s diarrhea please go to Center For Disease Control.
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A destiny I will never forget.
This was by far, the best vacation I have ever been on. I hope be awarded the scholarship so that I can go on to college, graduate with honors, and get a great job so that one day I can show my family what a great place Yellowstone National Park is. Thank you for considering my application!
I hope you enjoy my essay. Thank you for your time.
My favorite city so far!
It's such a beautiful place!
my trip.
Hey Everyone,
Thanks for checking out my blog. 🙂 I hope you enjoy.
With Much Appreciation,
– Zoe McDowell
hello
I have run short on space, yet I managed to squeeze in about 3/4ths of my trip.
Lordsburg and Demming are in New Mexico (I guess I should have edited that), and there are numerous other details I would have liked to have included….
If you're interested in traveling in my footsteps, I highly recommend the Togwotee Lodge and Resort, which is where we stayed during our trip.
While visiting Paris the summer I was fourteen, I was captivated my by its beauty. The city's rich culture, diverse people, and turbulent history fascinated me and captured my imagination. It was there that I discovered the wonder of adventure, and my never-ending love of Paris.
this is my actual scholarship submission. PLEASE DO NOT JUDGE THE PREVIOUS ENTRY. THIS IS MY SUBMISSION. THANK YOU.
This was the most incredible vacation ever! All my classmates who attended agreed and have remembered every memory from Washington D.C. Thank you School Tours of America and my special sponsors Mrs. Nobel and Mr. Fitch.
My trip to new york was wonderful. I even c reated a website to prove it.
http://nothinglikenewyork.shutterfly.com/
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This is a blog about my trip with my mother to New York City
I encourage you, go on a mission trip! You will never regret it. If anything it can help you to figure out your place in this world.
I raised money for this trip during the course of my Freshman year, first by a Bake Sale, which raised over $700, then by giving out poetry that I had written in exchange for donations. They expereince broadened me as a leader and created lasting friendships with other cultures.
This was my Italian experience. It was extremely fun and I can’t wait for the time when I get the chance to return.
Hope you enjoyed my essay! Just wanted to share my beliefs and personal experience. 🙂
Hopefully you can enjoy my post! It's what I believe and is my own personal experience. 🙂
My scholarship entry!
Im glad to share my families trip with you. I hope this inspires you to go on a trip with your family to Hawaii.
My vacation to Spain in general was one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done. The culture was rich and the archetecture was far more ornate than anything I've ever seen in the United States. I will defenately go back there some day if I am fortunate enough.
This particular blog was submitted as a scholarship essay to myfamilytravels.com, enjoy!
I truly am grateful for the wonderful opportunity I had to travel to Hong Kong for a month! I'll definitely think about living in Hong Kong in the future!
I hope people can read this travel blog and see for themselves how great the aftermath of war is. Because of war, these children have to suffer every single day. ):
This blog was very fun to write, it let me reevaluate what had happened during the trip and laugh about it once again. Maybe it will inspire someone else to do what what my family did and go through the indescribable little horrors that we all went through. Happy traveling!
If you have ever wondered what a BIG city is, than New York City is the place for you to go! i had a blast there! Check it out!!
I had alot of fun writing this essay.
Europe is a great place to visit!
it looks cool!
Here is my scholarship for the Teen Travel Writing Scholarship of my journey to Alaska!
My trip to London.
I discovered that I was a pretty good photographer while on this trip. I now take all the family vacation pictures!
My trip to Yellowstone was truly amazing! Yellowstone is a must-see for all nature lovers and hikers!
The wedding took place on August 6, 2011.
this was a wonerful trip with friends & family
My experience was amazing here!
My essay describes the emotional connection to the effects of a storm which would seemingly ruins a trip to Lake Michigan.
I wish I could have written more about Germany, but summing up a vacation such as that in only 600 words seemed impossible to me. I would have never guessed I would have learned so much about myself there. We did activitivities I would never seen myself doing in a million years. Many of the students that went on the trip I would not normally be friends with, but at the end of the day no matter how different we were from one another, we were all friends and family to eachother and still keep in touch till this day. I don't know when I will be able to go on such an amazing adventure again, but my advice to whoever comes across this is, if you have the oppritunity, take it. Even if you are apprehensive, take the risk because I'm willing to bet you will learn so much more.
Thank you all for reading this and best of luck to everyone who entered this contest!
We love going to the Hawaiian Islands. Maui was one of our favorites. Molokini Crater is just off of the Maui coast. I couldn't believe at the variety of fish we snorkeled with–we even glimpsed a reef shark! Snorkeling at Molokini Crater was a great experience and was the inspiration for this short essay.
This is my scholarship essay, please confirm that it has been entered. Thank you!
The reason for my visit to Nigeria was because of a death in my family. In the attatched picture, I am in the middle, surrounded by my family members as we walked toward the area where the ceremony was to be held. The whole experience of visiting Nigeria a third time (but as a teenager) opened my eyes and made me realize that there are things in the world bigger than just me and my problems, and it's my job to find a way to give back before time runs out.
This was my family trip to Missouri…never forget how important learning and family is.
I am a young international traveler interested in seeing the dynamics between different cultures acted out out not only through travel but through international relations on a global stage. Trips to Belize and across the world have cemented my belief that nations working together is for the good of everyone on earth.
I wrote this for the Scholarship writing contest.
This is my entry for the FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholorship!
I hope that everyone can learn a little about this unique country from my blog. There are so many more things I wish I could say, but space is limited!