Bali Belly                                                          Back

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In Mexico they call it Montezuma's revenge, I guess we could call it Rangda's revenge. They call it Bali Belly but no matter what the name, it is one sure way to turn a great vacation into a real nightmare.

Some things you should do / or not do to protect yourself from Rangda/Montezuma

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1. Wash you hands with soap often.

2. Peel all fruit even with a knife if you can't without one i.e. apples etc. peel because washing won't work if your using

their water. speaking of water.

3. Drink only bottled water / canned drinks

4. Don't drink cold drinks with ice unless you know that the water was boiled before it was frozen.

5. The government supplies most restaurants with their ice. However I've seen this ice dropped in front of restaurants in

large blocks & would assume that contact with the ground would defeat the purpose of the government supplying

sanitary ice.

6. Make sure all food is thoroughly cooked.

7. Salads are hard to wash even if they are using clean water. It's hard to clean the uneven surfaces of say lettuce or

broccoli.

8. Never eat food found in the wild unless your with a guild that is familiar with local wild foods. As with wild

mushrooms quite a few plants are poisonous. If you have kids with you, make sure they realize this.

9. Swimming in freshwater is also dangerous, especially if you happen to swallow some & who hasn't. Stay in pools or

the Ocean.

Diarrhea is a common occurrence among travelers to the tropics, mostly caused by the change in food, water & climate and this type should last only about 2 or 3 days. However I have talked about Bally Belly & if your symptoms last more then four days/or if you notice black colored stools/blood in your stools/or it is accompanied by cramps & a fever seek medical help. You may have Dysentery/Giardiasis or even Cholera, all of which are very serious medical problems.

Other nasty bugs  INTESTINAL PARASITES:

1. It's been estimated that more then 80% of all Indonesians have intestinal parasites. These can be very easily passed

on to you by food handlers, etc. I would recommend taking care of this problem before it becomes one.

1a. Routinely take a dose of anti-parasite medicine such as Kombatrin available at all drug stores (Apotiks) when you

get there and again every month if you stay that long, also when you leave. (Left untreated parasites can cause major

health problems.)

I found a great advisory on diarrhea & travel at  The C.D.C. (Center Disease Control) Web Site

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