Bob

Did you get sick while touring China? If so, what do you think caused it and what do you recommend to avoid getting sick while there?

Peter N-H

Most common complaints:<BR><BR>1. Sore throat, runny nose, sore eyes<BR><BR>Often mistaken for having a cold or the beginnings of flu, but actually caused by the pollution. There's little to be done about this. Those who live there adapt, and there are no lasting effects on those who pass through. Eye drops and throat pastilles are available, but best to bring your own favourites if you have any. Particularly avoid the Chinese habit of handing out antibiotics for every minor ailment. They won't help, and may harm.<BR><BR>2. Upper respiratory tract infection (sore throat and/or chest), head colds<BR><BR>Caused by the constant spitting (although that's a great deal less than it used to be) and generally low hygiene standards. Avoided by frequently washing your hands and keeping them away from your mouth.<BR><BR>3. Vomiting and diarrhoea. <BR><BR>Caused by poor hygiene.<BR><BR>The wise short-term visitor avoids cold dishes and salads, and sticks to freshly cooked hot foods, especially from street vendors. Only fruit which can peeled should be eaten, and then care taken not to touch the interior before putting it in the mouth. Use bottled (distilled is safest) water for drinking and for brushing teeth. Again, frequent hand washing is advised.<BR><BR>Long-staying travellers and resident foreigners adapt, and I eat cold dishes where the restaurant looks savoury enough. But this isn't recommended for the untrained stomach, nor worth the risk of three or more days of discomfort on a two-week visit.<BR><BR>Peter N-H<BR>http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

Ursula

Bob, no, never got sick. <BR>Avoid Westernized food. Local food is usually fresher, goes quickly and they know how to prepare it. <BR>By that, I don't mean you should eat everything they have a on the menu. Chinese food in China is not what we usually expect with our Westernized taste. Some of it tastes truly bad for us and sometimes we don't even know what it is.<BR>I'd suggest to stick to food you know, before you go into any adventure. <BR>Don't forget, you will also suffer from jetlag, change of climate, etc. and all this can cause you problems, not necessarily the food itself. <BR>Basically, I never avoid anything, because trying out different food is part of any trip, at least for me. China, however, is quite famous for very special food, we would never eat.<BR>I usually avoid European food in Asia. I can get that at home! <BR>Upon my recent Vietnam trip, I was utmost surprised about the quality of the food. I think it was far better than in China. But then, I think Thai cuisine is among the best, worldwide.<BR>Drink bottled water.<BR>Other than that, boil it, peel it or forget it!<BR>You know best how unfamiliar food is likely to affect you, so act accordingly.<BR>I always recommend to carry some cookies or Ritz crackers with you. It can be difficult to find such snacks depending on where you are.<BR><BR>Enjoy your trip, Bob.

evelyntrav

I have no clue as to why I got sick in China, or in India or in Spain. I discussed it with my doctor and he gave me a prescription for Cipro and an anti-nausea medication just in case it happened on my next trip which was to Southern Africa. Perhaps just having the medication in my bag in case it was needed kept me feeling great in some of the most remote places in the world.

Marilyn

I didn't get sick, but know many people who have gotten respiratory illness on extended trips to China (2 weeks or more). Seems like the pollution and less than ideal sanitary conditions are to blame. Doesn't seem like there is much you can do to avoid it, other than having a really good immune system and washing your hands frequently.<BR><BR>I always take a course of broad spectrum antibiotics with me when I travel to places like China, just in case.

Elizabeth

My theory, based on my own experience and my observation of many others, is that travelers’ colds stem primarily from the act of traveling itself. Visitors to China (from the US) are in a very dry environment on airplanes for up to 20 hours due to cabin pressurization. Medical sources say that dry nasal passages are greatly diminished in their ability to fend off infection sources that we are exposed to all the time. The air on planes is not only dry, it is recirculated to the extent that everybody on the 747 is exposed to anyone who has a cold. Then, travelers who are probably tired from preparing for the trip to start with, don't sleep well - if at all - on the plane and then don’t get enough sleep once in China because jet lag causes them to awaken very early. They also probably aren’t eating very well, either, given the state of airline food and the junk snacks they probably grabbed on layovers. Hectic schedules on arrival don't allow much additional rest for the next few days. Their resistance drops so that the airplane bug can easily find a receptive host. <BR><BR>So, to combat these factors, you might buy some saline nasal spray and use it frequently on the plane plus drink all the water or fruit juice you can during the flight. Alcohol and caffeinated beverages like colas dry you out ever more, so avoid them. Try to sleep on the plane, maybe with the help of an over-the-counter or prescription sleeping preparation which you can also use the first night or two in China. Eat fruits and healthy foods during your travel and take plenty of vitamins. Keep your hands away from your face and wash them frequently. If you do succumb, it’s nice to be considerate of your fellow travelers by coughing or sneezing away from them. Resist the temptation to take antibiotics unless your illness becomes very severe because that will work against you in the long run.<BR><BR>Elizabeth<BR>

Dave

I had the GI's in Tibet, took 2 Cipro, recovered in one day. I don't know how I got it, as I am very careful of what I eat and drink. Things happen.

Elfie

I didn't get sick there but I agree about the respiratory problems, especially in Beijing. My chest actually hurt as if I'd been smoking cigarettes. From a high point you can see the brown fog hanging over the city. It's scary.<BR><BR>I disagree about brushing teeth with bottled water, I used tap water to do that and was fine. Do drink only bottled though. Another point is that I was also told not to eat fresh fruits unless peeled and avoid salads. I did that in Beijing but when I went to Shanghai I was dying for fresh fruit and veggies, and I ate a little melon one day and some salad the next and was fine, so the rest of my stay there I ate what I wanted. No problems. The only time I was close to being sick was after eating some EXTREMELY HOT AND SPICY tofu in Beijing. Felt a few rumblings, took some Immodium (you gotta pack that) and was fine! Have a wonderful time.<BR><BR>

Peter N-H

Those arriving from areas where tap water is drinkable would be very unwise to use tap water in China for anything other than cooking, or drinking after boiling. While much of the water in relatively developed cities such as Beijing would pass water quality standards (or get near to it) in, say, France, the ancient and unhygienic piping compromises it. In most of China there are additional problems with industrial pollutants and agricultural run-off. All rivers are in a terrible state, and let's not get into the question of unrestricted use of agrochemicals and human waste on the fields.<BR><BR>The Chinese always boil the water before using it although their digestive systems are certainly far more robust than ours, and there's a reason why five star hotels in China provide either a purified water tap (Beijing's Palace Hotel, for instance) or a free bottle of mineral water in the bathroom. In short, unless you want a high risk of some discomfort during your short holiday in China, this is no time to be macho.<BR><BR>Since this absurd (non-)distinction comes up from time to time on this site, let's say drinking the water isn't what separates the soi-disant 'traveller' from the 'tourist'. In China it's usually what separates the sick from the well.<BR><BR>Peter N-H<BR>http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

cb

The dinner at our hotel in Guilin had luscious-looking strawberries, my favorite fruit. I brought it back to my room and washed it 3 times with sudsy (soap and liquid soap) water and rinsed it a few times with bottled water. Got diarrhea nevertheless. However, I do have sensitive stomach.

Hope

Any more information

Paige

Funny you should ask. We got back from a week in Beijing last weekend. We both had a bit of upset tummy there but nothing a little Pepto wouldn't take care of. But, hubby came down with a cold right after we got home and now is running a slight fever. I'm almost positive he got it from the girl who sat next to him on the plane, who was hacking her lungs up the whole flight. I'm fine though. Just stay as far a way as you can from people sneezing and all that and wash your hands (or use handi-wipes) often. And of course, don't drink the water, don't eat funky looking food, etc.

Mike

After three weeks in China, my wife did well, I had diarrhoea for two weeks. The presciption meds that I took with me didn't do any good. It cleared up after we got home. I think what got me was I bought a bottle of water from a street vender. It seem sealed, but later I was told that it probably had a little glue on the threads to make it seam as if it was sealed. So My advice is, only buy your bottles of water from stores and brick / mortar shops. Don't buy water from a local selling it as they walk down the street. Other than that we ate everything except cheese and unpeeled fresh fruit. My wife went to Bath & Body and got several bottles of anti bacterial hand cleaner. We used it before we touched any food or snacks.<BR>

lze

Hello Bob, <BR>Yes, I did get sick while in China. I contracted diarrhea and had a steady diet of banannas and rice for a few days or so. Took the usual Immodium and Pepto all the while. I think it depends on the individual for the most part. Use common sense of course. The two best things I took on my trip were the small bottles of hand sanatizer and also small pks. of Kleenex. Bathrooms are not always equiped with the necessary products. I don't know what made me sick. I used bottled water to brush my teeth. My sister did not. She did not get sick. As I said it depends on the individual. I did eat salad (on board the ship we were on) and tomatoes also, that is the portion of the trip where I got sick. Tomatoes had the skin on them. If I had to make a guess, I would say it was one of those two things. But, who knows? The poster who wrote if you can't wash it or peel it, don't eat it, is correct. We did not eat any street food with the exception of having a coconut drink in Bangkok. We were told to try one. The coconuts are kept ice cold and they whack the top from them and put in a straw. Mmmmmmm delicious. All you have to do is take one look at the sanitary conditions (or lack there of) in most places and that was enough for us not to try the street food. In Beijing the smog was bad but by far the worst I have ever seen anyplace in the world was in Bangkok. I do agree the recirculated air on aiplanes is a culprit for some. Again, depends on the individual. Do you plan to get shots? I did and am glad. Even though I got the diarrhea, it could always have been worse. Something far more serious could ruin your vacation as well.

Saidin

Top top...keep info coming

Sawbones

Travelers' diarrhea is uncomfortable while disentery is something else and far more serious. In either case, complications from the accompanying dehydration can be combatted quite simply: drink fluids. Lots of them. Recently, on a trip upcountry in Vietnam, I became very ill from something I ate or touched (we all put our fingers in or near our mouths without thinking about it). Bed rest, keep a toilet nearby, and drink lots of Coca-Cola while munching on bread. Lots and lots of both. The Coke gives you nutrition (sugar), settles your queasy stomach (the carbonation brings up the bubble), and the bread is about the best thing since Crazy Glue in getting a plug into the old gut. Keep it up for 24 hours, eat nothing else, drink and drink and drink. You will feel weak, but you will recover.

Marilyn

Thank you Sawbones for pointing out the difference between diarrhea and dysentery. I ate something that made me ill on my last trip to Cambodia. My stomach was upset and I ran a low fever for about 5 days. I had some Cipro with me, but didn't want to take it if I didn't have to. So I went online and after reading a bit I decided I just had diarrhea, NOT dysentery, and I should wait it out. What a great resource the internet is!<BR><BR>By the way, the food rule which will keep you from getting sick 95% of the time is: PEEL IT, COOK IT, OR DON'T EAT IT. (Yes, I know I'm shouting, but I am amazed that more people don't know this by heart.) After my Cambodia experience I would add: don't eat at a buffet late in the evening when the food has been sitting out. Duh.<BR><BR>There is no 100% safety because you simply don't have 100% control over the preparation of the food. E.g., if you are served food on a plate that has a little tap water left from dishwashing, it could make you ill.

Marilyn

PS For those interested in the subject of GI health when traveling, check out a most informative book entitled (fodors, don't delete this, it's really the title!) "Shitting Pretty".

Eunice

Marilyn made a very good point by pointing out that you can get sick from a plate with water left from dishwashing. Whenever possible, we just eat directly from the serving dish. It probably hasn't been washed up to our standards, but at least a few germs may have been killed by the hot food. We also try to avoid glasses/cups (bring your own) and drink directly from bottles/cans.