Travellers’ diarrhoea

The causes of travellers’ diarrhoea

British residents make more than 60 million trips abroad each year, with an increasing numbers heading for the tropics. Travel health experts estimate that between 8% and 50% of travellers abroad suffer from diarrhoea, with an increased risk to exotic or developing countries. This makes diarrhoea the most common health condition facing British holidaymakers.

Travellers’ diarrhoea can be triggered by all sorts of things, including overindulging in alcohol or eating rich and spicy foods. However, it is most likely to be caused by contact with contaminated food or water or by exposure to new varieties of bacteria that normally live in the gut. In many cases, symptoms can be relieved with the use of a diarrhoea treatment such as IMODIUM^®

Treating travellers’ diarrhoea

If you are unlucky enough to experience a bout of travellers’ diarrhoea, health experts recommend the following:

• Replace lost fluids by drinking plenty of bottled or boiled water. Oral rehydration sachets are also recommended to replace salts and fluids lost through diarrhoea. These are particularly advisable for the frail, elderly or children who are at a greater risk of dehydration.
• Limit drinking tea and flat/fizzy drinks such as cola, and eating bland crackers and dry toast. As your appetite increases, add simple, baked foods.
• Contact a doctor if symptoms last longer than 24 hours; you develop a fever over 38°C; or you have blood or mucus in your stools.

Take an over-the-counter diarrhoea medicine such as IMODIUM^® Instants, which melt on the tongue with no need for water making it convenient to take on the go, or IMODIUM^® Plus Caplets for relief from diarrhoea and associated cramps, wind and bloating.

To help you avoid travellers’ diarrhoea in the first place, take a look at our tips for preventing travellers' diarrhoea.