Hidden Causes of Traveller’s Diarrhoea
Introduction
There is nothing worse than looking forward to a holiday all year and suddenly finding yourself confined to your hotel room, fighting over the bathroom and scared to stray too far from a toilet. Most of us have suffered an upset stomach while abroad and as per usual, we tend to blame the sickness on the tap-water supply, the rinsed salad, the ice cubes and even food poisoning. In this article, I have addressed a potential invisible but hidden cause of holiday sickness, so make sure to read until the end!
A Potential Invisible Culprit?
On a number of holidays, I either got sick myself or I heard of other travellers getting sick. I assumed it was down to people drinking the tap water or one of the many other potential causes, but despite me and others taking precautions, the sickness still happened. I would read articles on Trip Advisor that would give five-star reviews across the board, yet every tenth review, I would come across a damning comment, that blamed the hotel for an acute bout of travellers diarrhoea. I spent several years thinking about this and something didn’t add up. I mean, how can the majority of the hotel guests remain healthy, yet a small percentage got sick? It could not be food poisoning, because that would wipe out most of the hotel. Then it dawned on me – I was one of the few guests that would swim in the sea and I considered that although the sea looked clear and blue, if the local policy was to dump sewage into the sea, the bacteria might be all around the swimmers – even if it was invisible! And let’s not forget that when we swim in the sea or the ocean, we invariably get that water in our eyes and ears and occasionally we even swallow some of it – albeit accidentally. The last time I went to Turkey (in 2023), I did not get sick – nor did I set foot into the sea. The time before that however, I spent every day in the sea at Oludeniz beach with my son and guess what – we both got sick! Therefore, I ask you this question – have you ever been on a foreign holiday and you got sick, while people around you stayed healthy? It’s worth considering.
The Old Days
I can remember the foreign holiday market taking off in the 1970s, as more and more people began travelling on package holidays. I remember a young couple who lived in my neighbourhood, went to Spain for their honeymoon. The wife drank tap water and contracted legionnaires disease and to this day, I will be forever haunted by the scene that unfolded, as they brought her body back in a coffin. So make no mistake, this is a serious topic! Thankfully, thinks have improved over the decades, but considering sewage contaminated seawater might prove to unearth a hidden cause of holiday sickness.
What’s in a Name
Over the years, I’ve heard so many different names for holiday sickness. On a more light-hearted note, I thought I’d share some of these rather amusing names with you:
1. Puerto Plata Splatter – Found in the Dominican Republic. Regardless of the precautions that you take, most visitors will get caught by this horrendous tummy upset. From experience, Imodium isn’t the greatest medicine. If you can get hold of a bottle of Pepto Bismol (pink bottle), it will serve you well and potentially save your holiday.
2. Turkish Tummy – For many years, I could not understand why I would get sick in Turkey. It was a Turkish holiday in 2018 that got me thinking more deeply about holiday sickness.
3. Pharaoh’s Revenge – This is the infamous name given to a terrible stomach illness that would strike holiday makers in Egypt.
4. Tunisian Trots – A bit like Turkish tummy, this is a nasty stomach upset that leads to an infection of the stomach.
5. Delhi Belly – Needless to say, this one is a nasty form of traveller’s diarrhoea that originates in India. Avoiding street-food is a good idea!
6. Bali Belly – This is a similar form of traveller’s diarrhoea and consists of vomiting, with severe bouts of stomach cramping and diarrhoea.
Current advice to Travellers
1. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water or at the very least, use provided hand sanitizer or take your own.
2. Avoid tap water in ALL foreign hotels. This includes using bottled water for brushing one’s teeth. Even if the water is deemed to be safe, the different content of minerals can still cause an upset stomach!
3. Don’t eat salad items if you suspect that they have been rinsed in Tap water.
4. Avoid ice cubes in drinks, if you can’t be sure that they were manufactured using mineral water – a clue is that if the ice cubes are hollowed out at one or two ends, they should be safe.
Conclusion
Basically, an unfortunate percentage of travellers succumb to illness on holiday and it’s worth considering that sewage contaminated seawater could very well be the secret cause that we have all missed! Above all, start monitoring who goes into the sea and who stays out – and take note of who gets sick! Your comments and opinions are most welcome.