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Food Safety Works Colorado State University Extension
SafeFood Rapid Response Network

SafeFood Newsletter - Winter 1996/1997 - Vol. 1, No. 2

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Traveling Someplace Exotic? Watch What You Eat

Before one travels to Mexico, South America, or Asia, there's something he or she should know. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise Americans traveling to Central and South America and parts of Asia to avoid high-risk foods like seafood (especially if raw), seafood salads, and unpeeled fruits and vegetables. The water and these foods have been linked to the spread of cholera in Ecuador, El Salvador, Peru, the Philippines, and Thailand. The CDC recommends drinking only bottled carbonated beverages or hot beverages made from boiled or disinfected water.

While the risk for travelers remains small, the number of Americans contracting cholera annually between 1992 and 1994 rose sharply compared to the number of yearly cases reported between 1965 and 1991. Cholera sufferers typically experience watery diarrhea, which can progress to dangerous dehydration. Treatment consists of intravenous fluids and sometimes antibiotics. However, physicians are becoming concerned that some cholera strains will soon be resistant to antibiotics.

Americans traveling anywhere in the world can receive updated information on disease outbreaks and specific precautions for tourists, including the avoidance of certain high-risk foods, by calling CDC's automated International Traveler's Health Information Hotline at (404)332-4555. Messages are available prerecorded or by fax.

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Updated Monday, August 29, 2011