Hi!

Just booked our trip for 5 nights in Morocco but am a little nervous about travellers diarrehea. For reference I have been to Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore with no issues.
Just a few questions:
- How common is it in Marrakech? I see its the top tourist destination for 2018 and the vast majority of posts about getting sick in Morocco are over 10 years ago. Assuming I take the typical food safety precautions should I be good?
- Since I am only going for a short period does this reduce my chances? It seems more likely for people who are gone a longer time?
- How bad is it? Most people I know who have had it say it was a minor inconvenience and not a 'day ruiner' like say food poisoning.

Thanks so much for your help!

Anyone?

If you follow standard food and water precautions, you should be fine. Take a look at www.cdc.gov/travel for specific instructions.

We were in Marrakesh last May for three days. We drank bottled beverages except for coffee at our Riad; did not eat at any of the food stalls (only restaurants and at our Riad) and had no problems whatsoever.

I spent three weeks in Morocco and never had a problem, but I am more given to foot issues than intestinal ones.

As anywhere, the worst can happen and unless you don't eat, there's no foolproof way to avoid the issue. After a number of uneventful trips I was stricken with food poisoning in Morocco and eating at one's riad is no guarantee, just as it isn't in good restaurants most anywhere. It happens. Enjoy your trip, eat the food, including at the fun outdoor places and don't worry about it. Definitely use bottled water for drinking and teeth brushing.

Biggest problem is poor personal hygiene, such as not washing hands before meals, and then eating bread or other items with your hands. The second biggest problem is buffet meals at all-inclusive resort hotels where food, especially meat, isn't kept at the right temperature.

Eating where locals eat is always the best recommendation.

The local tap water is perfectly safe.

The source of my illness was a popular local chicken restaurant in the back streets of Marrakech medina. But given how many hundreds of meals I'd had in Morocco over the years, the odds were still good.
I find even water deemed "safe" can be a mild problem for me because, I'm guessing, it's just different from what my system is used to. So I stick with bottled water, everywhere.

We are flying home tonight after spending 2 1/2 weeks in Kenya and Egypt. My husband came down with something just 12 hrs after arrival. Think it was traveller's diarrhea. I fed him Imodium for the first 24 hrs then started Cipro for two days just to knock it out. He recovered quickly with the Cipro. I have taken Imodium several times this trip. Feel fine but system is a little out of whack. Could be the Malarone we are taking..our different foods.

I would say to to bring along Imodium and Cipro if possible. I ended up giving Cipro to our Egypt guide after he came down with similar but harsher issues. We have only drank bottled or canned drinks and have not eaten from street vendors.

Good luck and have a great trip!

When you have diarrhoea (English spelling) your body has sensed something harmful and is trying to expel it. Giving Hubby Imodium is akin to sticking a cork up his bum to keep the poison in. Much better to let nature take its course. Having said that, I do carry Imodium but only to take if unavoidable, such as flying home.

Each year in the United States, at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. The world is at crisis point with misuse of antibiotics—you certainly shouldn't be popping them without medical advice and taking them for just two days makes the misuse situation worse. Antibiotics wipe out many of the good guys in the gut and make you even more susceptible to stomach problems in the future.

Yes, the patient got better, but probably would have got better anyway. Before each trip into the wilds I build up the good gut bacteria with probiotics and rarely have problems.

From your description of travellers diarrhoea as a "minor inconvenience" I'd say you are confusing this with a mild tummy upset. Travellers diarrhoea is far more serious. On one trip in the mountains I administered assistance to 12 out of our party of 16 with homemade rehydration mixture of sugar, salt and water. The party was stranded until bodies settled down.

And food poisoning is far more serious than a 'day ruiner'. You will know when you have food poisoning as you feel like you are dying and you really don't care! I remember one instance in Peru when I spent the whole night on the bathroom floor alternating every 30 minutes between D and V, and hoping they didn't both come at the same time. The next two days were a blur.

The episode in Marrakech, and twice in India, is as you describe, TimCullis. If someone is in doubt which it is, it isn't food poisoning. There is no doubt.

<Giving Hubby Imodium is akin to sticking a cork up his bum to keep the poison in. >
Far from it. The Immodium just took the violent nature of the diarrhea down a notch. It did not stop it by any means. Just made it a bit more tolerable. Hubby was able to take the 1 hr plane ride from Nairobi to the Mara.

< you certainly shouldn't be popping them without medical advice and taking them for just two days makes the misuse situation worse. >
I did follow exactly what the Travel Clinic physician told me to do, and after texting our physician, she recommended he start the Cipro. How do you think I got the Cipro in the first place? A doctor that was on safari with us told us I followed the right protocol for alleviating the violent diarrhea. This wasn't just a mild inconvenience...it was very intense. And for your info, this is the first antibiotic my husband has taken in two decades. So, far from abusing antibiotics..thank you. Thank for your 'concern' but I am more inclined to listen my physician than someone on a travel forum for medical advice.

We just came back from a 12 day trip to Morocco and did not have any problems. Why? Because we were forewarned by friends who did have issues. We only drank bottled water and did not eat from any stalls - only restaurants. We brought along Immodium and antibiotics and were glad to have them just in case... and we are not over-users of antibiotics.

After more experience than most traveling in developing countries, and having gotten sick several times (sick-sick, not slight inconvenience sick), I think it's safe to say the source can come from anywhere in any kind of eating establishment and there's no way to tell by looking which it will be. Water is a different issue and bottled water is, I think, a good idea generally. But congratulating one's self for not having problems is an illusion. Food stalls are no less safe than upscale restaurants. The possibility lurks in the unlikeliest of places so just thank the travel gods when you don't get sick and when you do, consider it the price we pay for the privilege of travel.

Beware ice in drinks. That was my downfall in Morocco! Though admittedly it was in the middle of nowhere, not in tourist places.

I'm interested in this as the tap water in Morocco is considered perfectly safe for drinking. Where was this in Morocco?

I'll advise that you be extremely careful as to where you eat or drink. You could also ask the locals around on this and where is the safest place to eat.

I'm positive you'll be fine. Since you wouldn't be staying for so long, following these guidelines shouldn't be a problem.
Safe travels

I give up.