Mr. Ericka and I are going to Angkor Wat and then the Maldives this Spring. For Cambodia, we will watch what we eat and drink to avoid traveler's diarrhea, but what about the Maldives?

In the Maldives, we will be on private islands so I guess that traveler's diarrhea will not be as much of a problem - the water comes from the sea (desalinization) so it should start out cleaner thus everything else should be cleaner too. Does my logic make sense? Anyone have personal experience?

The Maldives are normally safe for food and water (you pay enough for it). If worse comes to worse, try the traveller's cure:

A small spoon full of salt washed down with a sugary drink.

Good to hear. Thanks!

It's so interesting that the CDC and other official websites give the same TD schpeel about the Maldives as they do about the rest of southeast Asia.

Ericka, I think your logic about the water is good - desalinated water should be fine. But the next question is how to they manage sewage? Do they have adequate sewage treatment? Do they pump out the sewage and cart it away? Does it go into the sea or into the water table?

And where does the food come from? Where are the fruits and vegetables grown? Most areas of Asia use "nightsoil" as fertilizer, which vastly increases the chances of contamination by e.coli.

Personally, I'd be conservative. You may have a better sense of the sanitation issues once you get there. The cdc and international health agencies have lots more data than we have about the incidence of TD in the Maldives.

By the way, kaneda's "cure" is simply a rehydration formula. It would not have any impact on bacteria, parasites or viruses.

Good points, as always, Kathie.

As for the health agencies, I think that they cast a pretty wide net when reporting on things like TD and malaria. To be safe, I'm sure. But there are times when I really wish someone could give me conditions for smaller areas.

I was in the Maldives exactly 1 year ago..Ate buffets every day and did not have any problems at all...Did not drink water from the tap..Bottled water only...

However....one never knows when they will get sick....so you can never be too careful no matter where u travel..


By the way where are u staying in the Maldives?? We stayed at Veligandu Island resort, and we liked it so much am hoping to go back again..

Hi

I think you should be pretty safe at the Maldives. I went there with my wife a couple of years back and we didn't have any problem. We went to Sun Island by the way and it was a real paradise You can check out some pictures in my trip report on http://gardkarlsen.com/sun_island_index.htm

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

We'll be at the two Four Seasons - one just re-opened and one is brand new.

We drank bottled water (probably desalinated source) when we were there. I found food hygiene to be quite good--probably it helps that one island has one hotel, so the hotels are held responsible for its guests well-being. We did stay away from tap water or eating in Mahe or on islands where local residents live.