#2204: Bell comment on dysentery

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: madison bell <mbell@goucher.edu>

The most likely thing to get in Haiti is dysentery.  The first most likely 
way to get it is from water and the second is from flies on the food.  The 
mild version (loose bowels) you can ride out with rice and beans and Pepto 
Bismol (which can be used as a prophylaxis-- the bismuth coats the stomach 
and prevents e coli & such from penetrating).  But full blown dysentery can 
kill you quick-- dehydration is serious esp in a hot country and if 
intestinal hemorrhage starts you can bleed out and die in 24 
hours.  Therefore it is a good idea to carry a course of antibiotic such as 
Cipro and avoid dubious drinks, esp. tainted water-- much more likely to 
bring on serious dysentery than food.

msb

At 01:12 PM 2/5/00 -0800, you wrote:

>From:ForHaiti@aol.com
>
><< I gladly eat all
>  "street" and homemade foods, drinks, and tonics, & have never been sick.  >>
>
>You have been either lucky or blessed, and the only one I have heard of to do
>all these things and never get sick.
>
>[Corbett adds:  I used to eat like Karen describes.  One of my friends
>in Haiti said I was headed for trouble.  NOt used to all this I replied
>in my defense -- I watched the person fry the item before my eyes.
>"Yes," he replied, "but when did the marchant begin using that oil."
>That did put a bit of fear in me.  However, I'm still rather cavalier
>about these matters and while I get occasional loose bowels, I have
>been lucky so far, and do regard it as luck and now wise behavior.
>
>Bob Corbett]