Prevention of gastrointestinal infections in India

Nick-H

You mean it's over?

I can turn on the television again?











(Thanks for the important stuff... the rabies information links )


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camelgirl

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theyyamdancer

Now I know why you left London, Nick! Impending Olympicitis, very serious if left untreated, can lead to the following unforeseen complications: a desire to hear Carnatic music constantly, a yearning for Mylapore, an incessant hankering for the Keralan backwaters, etc etc. But if promptly treated the prognosis is (usually) excellent!

Nick-H

Or one could always buy a ready-made meal from a supermarket, keep it out of the fridge, then heat it to lukewarm before eating it.

It's called You miss India so much you try to catch gastro-intestinal infections in London, just to pretend you're there!

Kip911

Hello,

Just found this thread and I'm leaving in two weeks for North India (Mumbai-Dehli via Rajastan)

So, I'm a bit confused about the meds. Is Cipro the same as Immodium or is that an antibiotic for the same thing?

Is it better to wash your hands with bottled water or is tap water and hand sanitizer fine?

Are there any other meds I should be taking with me for over there? I'm not too fond of taking pills so I thought I might chance it with the probiotic especially since it takes a while to work and I've only got two weeks.

I'm also taking:

Savlon
Panadol
Dettol soap
Insect repellent
Immodium and ORS (any recs?)
Hand sanitizer

That's about all I'll need yeah?

vistet

Ciproxin is a antibiotic that comes under a number of brand names , first hand choice for enteritis without blood in the stool.

Imodium (loperamid) is what I call the bus pill : it can help you stop diarrea , and preserve some of your dignity on a bus ride, but keep in mind that diarrea is a defence mechanism and avoid using it once you have stepped off the bus.

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zoltan

Excellent answer vistet.

To add to the details you have provided (and for the benefit of kip911), I asked my GP recently whether cipro would be an adequate "fix" for gastric upsets.

He suggested flagyl would be a more appropriate medication to take.

And as far as immodium goes, it's quite a stopper and should be used only in emergency situations (again, as above, for bus rides and the like). Otherwise, try to let nature take its course. If things persist for more than 2 days, then go for the flagyl and hammer the infection.

Washing hands is fine with local water. Just use soap and clean under your nails (a nail clipper is a good thing to take with you).

Finally, with regards to your 1st aid kit:
1) drop the savlon & dettol soap. You can buy medimix soap (I love this product) everywhere & it's adequate for your general needs.

2) for hand disinfection, take aqium it's an ethanol based disinfectant for hand washing. Available at most Sydney chemists for a small charge.

3) ORS is widely available in India for a few Rs. Don't bother taking your own from home.

4) Insect repellent - try something with 50%+ deet. I use "bushman's" - it's heavy duty but it seems to work.

5) are you taking an anti-malarial ? Not being fond of pill popping and having incredible night sweats or facing possible death from malaria are not pleasant alternative options.

Cheers
Zoltan

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Kip911

I've had all my shots, and my doctor advised I wouldn't need malaria tablets for India, considering we're staying in major cities. I am taking it for the Kenya part of my journey however. So I only have a supply for 16 days.

I was going to take Savlon for mossie bites itching...there's probably something better for that?

And Dettol soap because I read somewhere (maybe even here) that Dettol smell keeps mossies away.

kristinm

There is a better one for Mossie bites itching SOOV - the one for insect bites and also Stingose! Hand sanitiser works without water - so when there is no water its extra good, also useful to chuck on a scratch or scrape until you get back to your room and savlon etc... You can buy little bottles so easy to pop in your daypack and leave the stash at the room.. you go through it a bit so take a few bottles. Actually now that I'm home I keep the leftover bottles we brought back in our car glovebox for the odd emergency..

I used the Bushmans' repellent too - it worked really well.

vireya

This is probably off topic, but how do Indians clean under their nails? I searched everywhere for a nail brush, including miming the action, but no-one could help. Ended up with a scrubbing brush probably designed for the floor. (I'll take one with me this time.)

Mary Poppins

I leave for India in 10 days and I just got enteritis, probably from eating at a street festival in Melbourne, Australia!!!!! The irony!!!

I'm hoping this will somehow make me more immune to it in India! However I'm going to take over grapefruit seed extract, probiotics and hope for the best!

labrol

Hi,Probiotics are not expensive in India. Vizylac,Becelac,Biozora are available over the counter(OTC) in capsule and sachet form.Take one daily.No refrigeration needed.
Infact if you stick to the policy of no uncooked food and of a hand sanitiser before each ingestion of any food, there will be no issues with the gut.That includes cut salads, fresh juices, roadside cold beverages like lassi, chat,chatni.
Most of these diarrhoeas are either viral or bacterial. The virals respond to probiotics and hydration, the bacterials respond to oflox.

If you still get the diarrhoea, immediately pop a pill, Oflox or oflin (Ofloxacin)200mg twice a day for three days. Taken with the first loose motion, the recovery will generally be within a couple of hours.You need no prescription.Cost about 6 rupees per tablet.Keep them handy. Most infections are now resistant to Norflox.Those resistant to oflox respond to Gatifloxacin 400mg once a day for three days.
BTW I am a doctor dealing with this everyday.

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suiko

I bought some pills on the high street as I wanted to get started right away, but these only have Lactarius acidophilus, and bifidium. So then I bought some more, which have Lactarius rhasmosus (?) and another one or two, but don't have the bifidium. Both are supposed to be two a day. Might it be a problem to take two of each?

labrol

Here is an excerpt from the National Health Advisory, Auckland.

'Apart from the debate about whether probiotics work, there
are also technical difficulties in their manufacture. These
include producing sufficient bacterial numbers that are able
to remain viable during storage, while maintaining the other
properties of the product. A recent study of 55 products
labelled as containing probiotics, found that only one-fifth of
them actually contained the organisms listed on the packet.
Hence, there is a problem with the quality assurance and
labelling of many probiotic products with the result being that
it’s hard to know what you are buying'

So you really do not know what it contains.Moreover there are no studies showing a protective effect in healthy individuals.Probiotic role is established in helping in the cure of antibiotic induced diarrhoea. There is nothing to show their effect in the prevention of diarrhoea in healthy people.In healthy adults the use of probiotic may be nothing more than a placebo.

Most important, therefore, is to be extra careful about washing hands before picking up any food to put in your mouth, and in the choice of food and drinks consumed.Foods cooked and heated are fine. Avoid fresh juices, cold unbottled beverages, cut salads when travelling.

Lowlander

Hi there,1sttimer next week with no injections.I've been travelling Thailand,Cambodia,Laos,etc without getting sick,is there a bigger chance of infections in India then there is in these countrys? And if there is should i take medication,to late for shots?! Thanks in advance,Ron