Traveler's Diarrhea

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Medical Author:

Anthony L Buscaglia, DO

Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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• Traveler's Diarrhea Overview
• Traveler's Diarrhea Causes
• Is Traveler's Diarrhea Contagious?
• Traveler's Diarrhea Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Traveler's Diarrhea Diagnosis
• Traveler's Diarrhea Treatment
• Traveler's Diarrhea Self-Care at Home
• Traveler's Diarrhea Medications
• Traveler's Diarrhea Prevention
• Traveler's Diarrhea Prognosis
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Author and Editor
• Read more on Traveler's Diarrhea from Healthwise

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 three or more unformed stools in a 24-hour period.

Who is at risk for traveler's diarrhea?

• People traveling from industrialized countries to developing countries.
• Traveler's diarrhea 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

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