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Traveler's Diarrhea

Traveler's Diarrhea Overview

Diarrhea occurs in a significant number of people who travel to foreign countries. Travelers to developing countries of the world become ill from eating or drinking food or water contaminated by infected human bowel waste.

Traveler's diarrhea can be defined as 3 or more unformed stools in a 24-hour period.

  • Travelers at risk: Those going from industrialized countries to developing countries. The condition is more common in young adults. About 30-50% of travelers to the high-risk areas will develop diarrhea.
  • High-risk areas

    • Mexico

    • Latin America

    • Africa

    • Middle East

    • Asia
  • Moderate-risk areas

    • Caribbean islands

    • Southern Europe

    • Israel
  • Low-risk areas

    • United States

    • Canada

    • Northern Europe

    • New Zealand

    • Australia



Next: Traveler's Diarrhea Causes »

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Traveler's Diarrhea

Diarrhea »

Diarrhea Overview

Diarrhea is the frequent passage of loose, watery, soft stools with or without abdominal bloating, pressure, and cramps commonly referred to as gas. Diarrhea can come on suddenly, run its course, and be helped with home care to prevent complications such as dehydration.

  • Diarrhea is one of the most common illnesses in all age groups and is second only to the common cold as a cause of lost days of work or school. It is estimated that there are almost 218 million cases of acute diarrhea per year in adults in the US.

    • In the United States, each child will have had seven to 15 episodes of diarrhea by age five.

    • People of all ages can suffer from diarrhea, and the average adult has a episode of acute diarrhea approximately four times per year.

  • Diarrhea and related complications can cause severe illness. The most significant cause of severe illness is los...

Read the Diarrhea article »



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Escherichia coli is one of the most frequent causes of many common bacterial infections, including cholecystitis, bacteremia, cholangitis, urinary tract infection (UTI), and traveler's diarrhea, and other clinical infections such as neonatal meningitis and pneumonia.

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