Traveler's Diarrhea
Definition
The occurrence of multiple loose bowel movements in someone traveling to an area outside of their usual surroundings (usually from temperate industrialized regions to tropical areas), is known as traveler's diarrhea (TD). The cause is almost always due to a bacterial or viral infection, acquired through ingesting contaminated food or water.
Description
It is estimated that anywhere from 20–50% of the 12–20 million travelers going from temperate industrialized countries to the tropics will develop TD. Fortunately, most of these episodes are of short duration; nevertheless, about 40% of those affected will need to rearrange their schedule, and 20% will be ill enough to remain in bed for some days.
The chance of winding up with TD is directly related to the area one is traveling to; only about 8% of individuals visiting an...
[The entire page is 1964 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
