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DIARRHEA

If you do succumb to dirrhea. Its intensity will depend on how much contaminated food or drink you consumed. If you get the run after eating lunch at one place, its not a good idea to go back there again for dinner.

To minimize your risk :

1. eat food served steaming hot and cooked to order rather than food left out on trays or in chafing dishes. Among fruits, choose those that have to be peeled < like oranges > rather than those you consume the skin intact < like grapes > . Bread is usually safe. Choose soft drinks like coke over freshly squeezed fruit juices or locally produced drink like “ nam oy “  < sugar cane juice > .
2. avoid salads, uncooked fresh vegetables, and all shellfish.
3. microorganisms clinging to peoples hands are a major source of contamination. Don’t eat any thing that has touched your hands or those of anyone else.
4. drinks with cube ice or tube ice are safe; drinks made with crushed ice chipped from blocks are not.

Should you get a persistent case of diarrhea, remember to drink lots of fluids as dehydration is a particular problem. If children come down with diarrhea, it can be very serious and a physician should be contacted to recommend rehydration salts. You should also contact a physician anytime you pass blood, have violent dirrhea or vomiting, as these are symptomatic of amoebic dysentery and hemorrhagic fevers like cholera or yellow fever, and thus life-threatening.

Viral hepatitis

There are 6 different strains of hepatitis…some very serious and none any fun. Hepatitis is a virus that affects the liver, causing its enlargement, sometimes resulting in liver failure. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, decreased appetite, tenderness in the upper right abdomen, dark urine, light coloured feces, and yellowed skin or eyes. Left untreated victims can fall into a coma and die.

The 2 most common forms are called Hepatitis A , B.  hepatitis A is spred through food & water contamination – once again , undercooked or raw shellfish & sea food along with raw vegetables are the likely sources. Symptom develop about 1 month after exposure to the virus. Hepatitis B is more serious than Hepatitis A , resulting in chronic liver disease. It is spread through blood transfer rather than by eating. This can happen during medical,surgical,or dental procedure,during immunization with improperly sterilized syringes, while being tattooed or having a shave, or through sexual contact.

INTESTINAL WORMS

Worms are common in Thailand and are contracted by eating contaminated food. Make certain your food is well-cooked, that there is no red left in the meats you eat, particularly with beef & pork. Lightly cooked or raw fish is a primary source of the Chinese liver fluke. Worms, live in there hosts for many years and left untreated, can cause anemia; really heavy infections can lead to cardiac arrest.

There are several different varieties common; hookworm, roundworm, tapeworm, hydatid cysts & angiostrongylus cantonensis. Hydatid cysts are contracted by stroking dog; the laval eggs adhere to the dog’s fur.  For hydatid cysts there is no reliable drug treatment; they must be surgically excised from the liver where they most often occur.  For the other worms, drug treatment is available and effective but requires a stool sample examination.

TUBERCULOSIS ( TB )

TB is common in Southeast Asia, although travellers are rarely at risk. A disease of contact with other people, it affects mainly those who work with sick people in refugee camps or hospitals. The TB are spread through unpasteurized milk. Symptoms include a prolonged   cough, blood-tinged sputum, fever, night sweats, fatigue, weight loss. People with HIV are particularly susceptible. Travellers who believe they have been closely exposed to TB should see a physician; treatment with antiTB drugs is reliable.

TETANUS

Tetanus is a leading cause of death in tropical countries. The bacterial spores are found almost everywhere and are nearly indestructible, but they pose no treat except in the presence of wounds. Once contracted, symptoms arise 7-14 days later; tetanus is usually fatal because treatment is difficult. Tetanus is easily prevented, however, through immunization and by following careful hygiene. Wash out small wounds with hydrogenperoxide and in case of deep, dirty wounds or animal bites, go for immunization booster shot. Beware of tattooing.

TYPHOID FEVER

This acute infections is characterized by high fever, spots, & abdominal pain. It is cause by a bacillus ingested with food or water. Anyone with these symptoms is dangerously infected and should seek immediate medical help.

MALARIA

Malaria is a parasite spred by mosquitoes. Many of the popular jungle trekking areas of Thailand, and a number of the rural islands -- particularly Koh Chang, Koh Kood – present high risk to the traveler. However, the best prevention is simply use a good mosquito repellent, avoid perfumes and scented aftershaves, wear light coloured long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and shoes. At night, sleep with airconditioning or under ceiling fan; mosquitoes don’t like them. Symptoms include fever, chill, sweating, severe headache, abdominal pain. Untreated malaria can be fatal; treatment is very effective & recovery rapid, so if you have these symptoms see a doctor right away

                                       DENGUE FEVER

            This  virus is spred by the Ades aegypti mosquito. symptoms includ high fever , headache , joint and muscle pain ;          it is sometimes called breakbone fever. there is no vaccine and the only prevention is mosquito repellant.
            Dengue is not uncommon and almost never fatal to young people in good health , but for older people or those
            with chronic debilities hospitalization is advisable.

                                        TYPHUS

            All 4 varieties of typhus cause fever , headache , skin rash , but intensity of symptoms vary according to type.
            Mountain trekkers may be at higher risk. the disease is spred by biting mites that cling to scrub vegetation in
            secondary forests. trekkers walking through the bush should wear a thick and mite repellant such as dimethyl
            phthalate rubbed into the skin every 4 hours. effective treatment is available if started early enough in the illness;
            there is no vaccination.

                                        SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES AND AIDS

            The best way to avoid contracting either STD or AIDS is to avoid sex with strangers. Failing that, use a latex condom
            from a reputable manufacture. Most bar girls and go-go boy in Bankok have frequent check-up, but that doesn't
            mean all do, nor does it mean they are disease free. Certainly, risk doesn't arise from prostitues alone, suffice
            to say , engaging is unsafe sexual practices is risky. Signs of STD include vaginal and penile discharges and
            genital ulcers. If you have any such symptoms seek medical assistance immediately and refain from sex until
            you do.