What is travelers diarrhea (TD)?
One of the most common infectious people pick up when they travel is infectious diarrhea. It is a form of intestinal infection you get from ingesting certain bacteria such as E. coli, or, less commonly, viruses or parasites. What are the symptoms? When people develop travelers’ diarrhea, they may feel nauseous and then they may develop loose or watery stools. This can progress so that they have diarrhea more than four times a day, and the diarrhea can have blood or mucous in it. They may also develop significant abdominal cramps and fever. What are the high-risk destinations? The highest risk areas for travelers’ diarrhea are Africa, Central and South America, the Middle East and most of Asia. Certain other destinations, the Caribbean, the Pacific islands, Israel, Japan, are more intermediate risk. You’re most at risk in the developing countries. Of course, it also depends on the nature of the travel. There are different sorts of travelers. Someone who flies on an air-conditioned jet,
