Traveler's Diarrhea

General or Other | General Practice | Traveler's Diarrhea (Symptom)


Description

Traveler's diarrhea is a digestive tract disorder that commonly causes loose stools and abdominal cramps. It's caused by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water. Fortunately, traveler's diarrhea usually isn't serious — it's just unpleasant.

Causes

People may have this disease in areas of the world where drinking water is not clean. People living in these areas often drink tap water containing these germs, but they don't have diarrhea. This is because their bodies are used to the germs. Similarly, it is possible for cooks and food handlers have the germs that cause traveler diarrhea. When people travel to a new place, are more likely to get sick because they do not have protective antibodies (infection-fighting agents in the blood) that attack these germs.

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