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Directories Int'l Realty US Realty
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Healthy Traveling Stuart Lieberman, Esq., Are you going to be traveling abroad in the near future? If so, there are some some precautions that you might wish to consider in order to stay healthy. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Travelers' Diarrhea (TD) is the most common illness affecting travelers. Affecting 20%-50% of international travelers, the CDC estimates that 10 million persons develop diarrhea during their travels every year. Clearly, this is a real issue. Usually, TD begins within the first week, but it may occur at any time while traveling. Exactly where it is that you travel apparently affects your likelihood of becoming ill. High-risk destinations are believed to be the developing countries of Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Young adults, immunosuppressed persons, persons with inflammatory-bowel disease or diabetes, and persons taking H-2 blockers or antacids are reported to be at greatest risk of becoming sick. Bacterially contaminated food and water cause the most problems. Often, this means fecally contaminated food or water. Food becomes contaminated in this manner in a variety of ways, including contaminated drinking water supplies and contamination by food handlers (you know the signs in every American restroom indicating that food handlers must wash their hands?) The CDC suggests that travelers take the following measures to minimize their risk of contracting TD: avoid eating foods or drinking beverages purchased from street vendors or other establishments where unhygienic conditions are present; avoid eating raw or undercooked meat and seafood ; and avoid eating raw fruits (e.g., oranges, bananas, avocados) and vegetables unless peeled by the traveler. Well-cooked and packaged foods usually are safe. Tap water, ice, unpasteurized milk, and dairy products are associated with increased risk for TD. Safe beverages include bottled carbonated beverages, hot tea or coffee, beer, wine, and water boiled or appropriately treated with iodine or chlorine (campers know about this). European beef has gotten some bad press lately and if you are traveling to Europe, you should understand "Mad-Cow Disease." This severe disease seems to be associated with consuming infected cattle. Beyond this, the truth seems to be that there is little consensus about this disease thus far, just speculation. The problem arose in 1996 when evidence developed indicating a possible relationship between outbreaks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also called BSE or mad cow disease, and a disease in humans called new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD). The phenomenon is a European one -- generally a British one. Both disorders are considered to be fatal. Some people have died as a result of exposure to nvCJD -- the number seems to be around 50. Most BSE cases in cattle have been reported in the United Kingdom, but cases have been reported in Belgium, France, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, and Switzerland. Public health control measures have been instituted to prevent potentially BSE-infected tissues from entering the human food chain, and the most stringent of these control measures have apparently been highly effective. According to the CDC, the risk of becoming ill seems to be very low. However, if you wish to take preventative measures in countries where the disease has been reported, you may wish to avoid meat altogether, or avoid processed meat such as hamburger or sausage. In other words, consume solid pieces where the chances of cross contamination have been reduced. Life is filled with danger and you can make yourself crazy worrying about every bad think that can happen to you. But a little common sense can go a long way. Have a safe and enjoyable trip.
The information provided in this column is written by Stuart Lieberman,a practicing environmental attorney, and is for general information purposes only. It is not legal advice and should not be used in place of legal advice.
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