Montezuma’s Revenge

Diarrhoea is considered by many to be a somewhat humorous disease. However, it is by no means a mere awkward, laughing matter in poor countries, especially if it affects children.

Many visitors who find themselves in the poorer countries of the world will notice within a few days that their stools have thinned and become much more frequent, with a number of very unpleasant accompanying symptoms — bloating, stomach cramps, and sometimes nausea and vomiting. Fortunately, in most cases, this kind of “traveller’s diarrhoea” will pass spontaneously within four days. Only about every tenth infected passenger will suffer for more than a week, with the fever still requiring more serious treatment. These inconveniences are caused by a very diverse range of bacteria and viruses, which can enter the digestive system through ingested water or food. Their names are unusual, such as “enterotoxic Escherichia coli”, “Campylobacter”, “Salmonella”, “Shigella”, “Norovirus”, “Rotavirus”, “Vibria”, “Giardia” and “Cryptosporidium”.

Therefore, in the poorest countries, “classic” mistakes should never be made — such as brushing teeth with tap water in a hotel, agreeing to add a few kindly offered ice cubes to an otherwise originally tightly closed canned drink, or consuming food that was not cooked immediately before being served, or a salad washed with hotel’s tap water. Diarrhoea in developing countries will affect every second to every fifth traveller from more developed countries, and most often younger people. It is especially common in the countries of Southeast Asia…