By Helaina Thompson
When traveling internationally, you’re bound to get some sort of sickness from the food. But there are ways to avoid this. For example, in southern India, your meal is often served on a large, green banana leaf. To rid the banana leaf of any dirt or residue, your waiter will rinse the leaf with water before serving your biryani or, perhaps, your masala dosa. Many restaurants filter this water to ease the tourist’s sensitive gut microbiome. But when it comes to street food vendors, the water you get — and the food, for that matter — is what you get.
My travel companion and close friend, Abby, was served a hearty dose of paratyphoid fever from the street food she dared to eat off of a banana leaf. Prior to traveling to India, Abby received every recommended immunization for our trip. Still, she acquired a water-borne infection no current vaccine can prevent. Shortly after returning home, Abby was hospitalized for three days and bedridden for nearly a month.
Abby and I are among a growing number of millennials who travel, work, and study internationally. The University of Iowa India Winterim program alone will send more than 100 students to various cities across India this winter. Global citizens must protect their health and well-being while abroad to avoid ending up hospitalized or sent home early. Are you preparing for international travel? Keep these tips in mind:
UI Student Health & Wellness offers travel consultations during which nurses will suggest vaccines and other medications based on your destination. These consultations are free of charge and easy to schedule — students simply fill out a one-page form found online beforehand. During your consultation, you can get most necessary shots. Some insurance plans will cover or partially cover immunizations, but do include them in your trip budget until you check your insurance coverage to clarify costs. It takes about two weeks after vaccines are administered for us to build antibodies, so make your appointment in advance.
Mosquitoes and other bugs will likely be present as you venture into more rural areas. The CDC recommends travelers use insect repellent that contains at least 20 percent DEET. Meanwhile, wearing clothes with long sleeves and long pants is respectful in many cultures and a good way to deter insects.
Avoid eating street food and drinking tap water while traveling internationally until you learn otherwise. Locals may encourage you to try their favorite street food, and while it is difficult, you should kindly say no. Keep a snack with you in case you become hungry. Buying fruit from street vendors is fine as long as you can peel it yourself. Tap water can be tricky. You should use tap water to wash your hands and face with soap, but don’t run it over your toothbrush before brushing your teeth. Set a designated water bottle next to your toothbrush as a reminder to use that instead. Finally, always ask restaurants if their water is filtered. Ice cubes are often made from unfiltered water, so request no ice in your drink to stay on the safe side.