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Is there anyway I can guarantee not being ill in Egypt.
I was really rough last time and that was in a 5 star place with me being careful.
Before going to Cuba I took probiotics but needed a visit from the doctor while I was out there.
I reckon that I am no good in countries where you can't drink the water.
The fish in the Red Sea beckon but unfortunately so does the toilet.
No there isn't. Some people recommend yogurt-extract type things but I never found any that helped and I always end up hitting the Immodium, and in extreme cases (Nepal) erythromycin.
Avoid eating all that nasty foreign muck.
And eat proper food instead.
http://www.mcdonaldsegypt.com/
Can't you just drink bottled water? It's about being sensible! Ie not eating salads, ice cream. If it's fruit or veg make sure it has a thick skin. Hand gel prior to eating to ensure you're hands are clean. We were worried when we went to India in January, took extra precautions and we had no problems at all.
Don't have ice in drinks.
(unless the ice cubes are round with a hole in the middle, these are fine as they are factory produced from clean water)
as above, if you've a bit of a gaylords stomach then avoid salads and don't have ice in drinks. A mate of mine asked for ice in a drink in Cuba, it was scooped out the bottom of a rusty old freezer. He was still ill six months later. Whilst I was in Iquitos, Peru, back in September I met a local woman and we got on extremely well and travelled around together 🙂 she took me to all the places where the locals eat, markets and street food etc. all very good until I got slighty sick ended up in hospital. They weighed me in at 54kg 😯 I spent the next three days on rehydration and antibiotic intravenous drips.
Kev
Local stuff doesn't necessarily make you ill though, it's just about being sensible and thinking about it! In India we ate in all of the local places, if I had gone on my own I wouldn't have touched any of them! But with a guide who was experienced and knew where to go, they all have wash basins with soap due to eating with hands however we still used hand gel before eating, once you get into that super cautious mind set you'll be okay. Yet in Thailand I had iced coffee etc and had dodgy stomach for 3 days (not sure if it was water, dehydration or what) butpoint is I had forgotten a drink like that would have ice from local water in it.
Try building up your immunity before you go, roadkill and carrion are ideal for this.
OK here it is from a veteran of over 90 trips to various African cities as well as many to ****stan:
Most important: DO NOT eat food from hotel buffets, often it is yesterday's dinner that has been inadequately chilled overnight and is now festering for several hours in a bain marie at blood heat, just the temperature bacteria love.
DO eat freshly prepared street food as long as you're sure it has been cooked on the spot nice and quick and hot.
DO NOT eat ice cream anywhere; it may not have been kept cold enough and will be full of lacto-bacteria.
Be cautious with salads and fruit, as always. Salad vegetables are sometimes watered with sewage and never washed adequately.
Get your GP to give you a prescription for ciproflaxacin; as soon as you get a tummy problem take lomotil or imodium and the ciproflaxacin, three (two in a day then one more) are usually enough to sort the problem. You don't have to finish the course. If you get a problem also avoid anything dairy because bacteria love dairy products.
Take oral rehydration salts; they are very good if you get bad diarrhoea.
Take some antiseptic hand wipes for those moments when you can't wash adequately. Adopt the Arab habit of using the left hand for dirty jobs and the right only for eating.
... and yes, ice in drinks is often made from tap water so to be avoided.
Having been to the red sea to swim with the fish a number of times all the above advice is good, but also brush your teeth with bottled water and keep you mouth shut in the shower.
got to be honest, i read all this with great interest and thought the best thing would be to just never go! but, i'm booked up for two weeks in sharm el sheik for august! er....cant wait
My friend had a dodgy tummy in Egypt, turned out to be cholera!
Globalti
Sorry i disagree do not take imodium.
Colleague was berrated at the tropical diseases clinic in aberdeen one he had been medivaced from equatorial guinea for taking imodium for what he thought was a simple stomach bug - turned out to be typhoid and imodium made things very difficult for him - his immune system couldnt cope with the build up and diahoreea is the bodys way of getting the bad bacteria out if it can cope with the bugs he was in a very bad way for a few months after that.
A corporate announcement was made shortly after that imodium is not a cure and should not be used unless absolutely necessary and to inform base manager of condition if it does not subside with in 3 days - not a huge fan of imodium at all.
Only time ive ever gotten ill is through bad water - ill eat from street stalls ill eat from local bbqs anywhere but i will only eat hot food freshly cooked . Ill only drink bottled water and if im dubious of the bottles legitimacy ill ask for a coke instead.
Ive had Giardia in the past it aint plesent , labeled water taps in nz not being clear resulted in me drinking non potable water lost 2 stone - didnt help i was cycling 100 miles a day , shitting my self thin and taking on little more than water and toast
rbrstr I think you are worrying a little too much, I don't think Egpyt is as bad as you think, however I would still stick to the above advice. i'm off to Sharm in October but it's not something that had particualarly crossed my mind yet, more India, AFrica etc.
I've had a MaccyD in Luxor 🙂
The sage of all wisdom down the pub reckons you don't get dodgy tummy in Egypt again once you've had it.
Desperately want to go but don't want to spend half of my holiday chucking up again.
On the plus side, bottled beer is as safe as it gets.
On the plus side, bottled beer is as safe as it gets.
The only guy who got sick on our trip to India was the one who had quite a few bottles of beer. Mind you, it was past its sell-by date, and had a rather murky appearance ...
more India, AFrica etc.
there might not be any lions and elephants, but its still africa 🙂
Trail Rat - I would also prefer to let it all out but when you're working in a city like Lagos or Kampala or Karachi and you get that awful liquid griping feeling deep in your bowels, you might be lucky enough to get to a toilet and then you've got two hours in traffic before you get to the safety of your hotel bathroom, Imodium is the only solution. The effect wears off after 24 hours by which time a few doses of ciproflaxacin have usually sorted the problem from the other end.
I was in a shopping mall in Dubai when the feeling hit me; rushed for the bog and then headed straight for a pharmacy. The Indian pharmacist told me there was no Lomotil or Imodium left in the whole UAE (oh yeah?) and gave me something called Motilium. I took one and within 10 minutes was dashing for the bog again.... and again... and again.... and by the time I was drained enough to dare get in my agent's car and get back to the hotel, I Googled Motilium and found it to be a bowel-emptying drug used before surgery. Bastard chemist.
Globati - very dubious about your medical advice. Surely you should ALWAYS finish a course of anti-biotics as it keeps resistance to them lower.
Imodium is fine if you have to move about but if you get ill MOST of the time you're best off letting it take it's course unless it's serious.
My advice - Globati +1 on avoiding buffets but I've always gone on the basis of ignoring what places look like and eating where the locals eat and where it's busy. Anywhere that regularly makes people ill won't keep customers for long.
I got very sick on a dive boat in Eqypt once but the food was kept in a fridge that was lashed to the top deck in the sun. d'oh. Very cheap boat. Very bad decision. The only other time I've been seriously ill was a moment of madness in Kathmandu when I drank water on the table. To this day I can't work out what I was thinking but can confirm Guardia is extremely unpleasant.
only drink coke, and not draught. i know someone who swears by it as not much can live in coke
just keep an eye on your teeth...
None of this is cheering me up!
I AM NOT A DOCTOR BUT THIS WORKS 🙂
Get some Ciproxin when you get there and take a tablet a day - its an antibiotic and you can get it over the couner in Egypt. Pretty much stops the bacteria doing you in.
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/sex-and-relationships/medicines/ciproxin.html
AM NOT A DOCTOR BUT THIS WORKSGet some Ciproxin when you get there and take a tablet a day - its an antibiotic and you can get it over the couner in Egypt. Pretty much stops the bacteria doing you in.
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/sex-and-relationships/medicines/ciproxin.html
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Interesting "common" side effect.......Diarrhoea !!!!!
We did a Nile cruise a couple of years ago, Cairo, Luxor, Aswan etc without problem. Stick with the bottled water, don't touch the salad and wash your hands (or use antiseptic hand gel) and you should be fine.
We also went to Sharm, xmas before last no problems there either, but that was all inclusive so I expect the large intake of alcohol killed any germs 😉
None of this is cheering me up!
I think you're in de Nile!
bdum tish.
Im here all week. Dont try the scallops.
"On the plus side, bottled beer is as safe as it gets."
I'm not sure I would consider the local "Stella" in Egypt to fulfill that catergory. I believe it containted formaldehyde when I tried it unknowingly a few years ago. Worst hangover ever....
Is there anyway I can guarantee not being ill in Egypt.
No, heard the place has also gone right downhill since the revolution, security guards needed wherever you go.
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