What is it?
Traveller's diarrhoea is an infectious disease caused by an intestinal bacterium. The disease is common in (sub)tropical regions. The intestinal bacterium can contaminate food and/or drinking water. The disease usually takes a mild course. The main risk is dehydration.
How do you catch it?
You can contract traveller's diarrhoea by eating and drinking food and/or drinking water contaminated with the intestinal bacterium.
How do you prevent it?
You can reduce the risk of infection with the intestinal bacterium that causes traveller's diarrhoea by taking good hygiene measures.
There are products that help to prevent dehydration during severe diarrhoea. For watery diarrhoea there are anti-diarrhoeal medicines.
In addition to the conditions at your destination, your personal situation and travel plans are variables that have a decisive influence on the preparations you may wish, or be required, to make before you travel. At Amsterdam Travel Clinic you can obtain expert travel medicine advice.
The above description is only a general, brief and simplified account and is provided for information purposes only. No rights may be derived from it. Personal advice is provided solely during a consultation with the specially trained Certified Travel Medicine Physician or Travel Medicine Assistant.