Tourista can affect any traveler and cause severe diarrhea for several days. It is possible to reduce the risk of catching it by following a few tips.
- Infectious traveller’s diarrhea, or tourista, is common and mild in most cases.
- It is manifested by recurrent diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and fever.
- Certain precautions can help to avoid it: cook food well and drink bottled water.
During the summer, some infections should not be ignored. Tourista, or infectious traveller’s diarrhea, is one of them. It is characterized by recurrent diarrhea – at least three times a day – accompanied by fever, vomiting and abdominal pain. Its symptoms are very bothersome, but the disease generally remains mild.
Choose cooked foods and drink bottled water
“All travelers are susceptible to catching turista, explains Christophe Rapp, infectious disease specialist at the Bégin hospital (Saint-Mandé), director of the CMETE international health center (Paris) and President of the Society of Travel Medicine (SMV). The less the hygienic conditions of the country visited, the higher the risk of contracting travellers’ diarrhea.“. The tourista comes from food. If in doubt about the quality of the food, it should be eaten thoroughly cooked to avoid infection with the bacteria responsible for turista. It is therefore necessary to eliminate all uncooked foods, such as raw vegetables. Another important factor: drink bottled water and not tap water, or sterilize it with tablets or boil it, and remove the ice cubes. Finally, be sure to wash your hands well with soap and water or with a hydroalcoholic gel, before each meal.
Watch out for children and the elderly
The groups most at risk of contracting infectious traveller’s diarrhea are children, the elderly and people with other diseases that weaken their immune defenses, such as AIDS. “The serious forms affect the elderly or children, who can, if they are not taken care of, die of dehydration, warns Christophe Rapp. This is what is observed in children under five in low-income countries (Africa, Asia)“.
What to do in case of tourista?
If you catch tourista despite all precautions, a few tips can help you recover faster. First, it is important to stay hydrated and continue to eat normally. If this is not possible, you will need to see a doctor who can prescribe you a rehydration solution, a medicine that limits the excretion of water from your intestine, or, in the most serious cases, have you admitted to hospital. for intravenous rehydration. If the situation becomes worrying, antibiotics may also be prescribed. However, don’t worry, most of the time a tourista will heal naturally and won’t last more than a week.