Contaiminated Food and Water Risks To Avoid Diseases

Travelling to developing countries can pose increased risks in the form of contaminated water and food and not just an exposure to mosquito and insect bites. Whether in rural or urban parts of these countries, you must take certain precautions. It is important that you weigh the advantages and disadvantages of possible contamination with every drink and food choice you make.

Typical diseases you could contract include E. coli bacterial infections, hepatitis A, bacillary or amebic dysentery, shigellosis, giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, and any of the noroviruses. Then there are also chances that you may develop a rotavirus infection as well as a number of different protozoan and worm parasites, salmonella infections and cholera.

Although most of these infectious diseases originate from the contamination of food and water, they can also be transmitted via the fecal-oral route. As these bacteria, viruses and parasites are found in people’s stools and if the person does not practise good hygiene and you touch the same surfaces they do, you could contract a disease. Additionally, if waste management conditions are less than ideal and sewage leaks into the water supply, you run the risk of drinking unclean water.

Water is a harbor for all sorts of contamination and can not only spread disease from ingestion of it but also from recreational activities as well. While it may sound like fun, swimming in contaminated pond, lake, ocean and river waters has its hazards. If you accidentally swallow the water or ifit touches mucosal membranes like the nose, eyes and throat or enter your body through an open wound, you can make yourself sick.

Most definitely, you need to practise food selections. You can forget about taking raw salads if the water is not clean; it is far better to eat cooked vegetables. Unpasteurized dairy products are best avoided. Wash fruits with water that you know is safe. Never eat meat or shellfish that has been uncooked. Shellfish and other seafood could have been harvested from contaminated waters and only cooking will kill the germs that cause disease.

You should refrain from eating rare beef. In all circumstances, cook meat thoroughly to kill any possible tapeworms, parasites and other germs that could be contaminating it. Eat food that has just been cooked and not left sitting in the open for a while. IThis is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria as well as contamination from food servers and dirty utensils. I almost never purchase food from a street vendor if I cannot be sure that it has been prepared in sanitary conditions or if food has been handled properly.

With regards to drinking water, only trust bottled water in sealed bottles. When you purchase them in other countries, always get more reputable brands and check the seal. You never know if some of the locals may decide to use washed water bottles and refill them with local water supply to sell. Do not order drinks with ice either. Be wary of how the ice has been made.

When bottled water is not available, then consider boiling your own water. Iodine treatments that come in pill or crystallized form will kill some bacteria in the water that cause disease but it does not always kill viruses and parasites. Although portable water filters are useful, it is not foolproof either. Sealed, bottled water is perhaps the best options for your supply of safe drinking water. It may be more costly but worth taking the safety measures for.