Passport Health logo
VACCINATIONS|ADVICE| FIND A TRAVEL CLINIC
  • Home
    • About
      • FAQs
      • Corporate Executive Team
      • Company History
      • Mission Statement
      • Pricing
    • Close
  • Destination Advice
    • Top Travel Destinations
        • Brazil
        • China
        • Costa Rica
        • India
        • Kenya
        • Peru
        • Philippines
        • South Africa
        • Thailand
        • Vietnam
    • Destination Advice
          • Afghanistan
          • Albania
          • Algeria
          • American Samoa
          • Andorra
          • Angola
          • Anguilla
          • Antarctica
          • Antigua and Barbuda
          • Argentina
          • Armenia
          • Aruba
          • Australia
          • Austria
          • Azerbaijan
          • Azores
          • Bahamas
          • Bahrain
          • Balearics
          • Bangladesh
          • Barbados
          • Belarus
          • Belgium
          • Belize
          • Benin
          • Bhutan
          • Bolivia
          • Bonaire
          • Bora Bora
          • Bosnia
          • Botswana
          • Brazil
          • British Virgin Islands
          • Brunei
          • Bulgaria
          • Burkina Faso
          • Burma
          • Burundi
          • Cambodia
          • Cameroon
          • Canada
          • Canary Islands
          • Cape Verde
          • Cayman Islands
          • Central African Republic
          • Chad
          • Chile
          • China
          • Christmas Island
          • Cocos (Keeling) Islands
          • Colombia
          • Comoros
          • Cook Islands
          • Costa Rica
          • Cote d'Ivoire
          • Croatia
          • Cuba
          • Curacao
          • Cyprus
          • Czechia
          • Democratic Republic of the Congo
          • Denmark
          • Djibouti
          • Dominica
          • Dominican Republic
          • East Timor
          • Easter Island
          • Ecuador
          • Egypt
          • El Salvador
          • Equatorial Guinea
          • Eritrea
          • Estonia
          • Ethiopia
          • Falkland Islands
          • Faroe Islands
          • Fiji
          • Finland
          • France
          • French Guiana
          • French Polynesia
          • Gabon
          • Gambia
          • Georgia
          • Germany
          • Ghana
          • Gibraltar
          • Greece
          • Greenland
          • Grenada
          • Guadeloupe
          • Guam
          • Guatemala
          • Guinea-Bissau
          • Guinea
          • Guyana
          • Haiti
          • Hawaii
          • Honduras
          • Hong Kong
          • Hungary
          • Ibiza
          • Iceland
          • India
          • Indonesia
          • Iran
          • Iraq
          • Ireland
          • Israel
          • Italy
          • Jamaica
          • Japan
          • Jordan
          • Kazakhstan
          • Kenya
          • Kiribati
          • Kosovo
          • Kuwait
          • Kyrgyzstan
          • Laos
          • Latvia
          • Lebanon
          • Lesotho
          • Liberia
          • Libya
          • Liechtenstein
          • Lithuania
          • Luxembourg
          • Macao
          • Macedonia
          • Madagascar
          • Madeira Islands
          • Malawi
          • Malaysia
          • Maldives
          • Mali
          • Malta
          • Marshall Islands
          • Martinique
          • Mauritania
          • Mauritius
          • Mayotte
          • Mexico
          • Micronesia
          • Moldova
          • Monaco
          • Mongolia
          • Montenegro
          • Montserrat
          • Morocco
          • Mozambique
          • Namibia
          • Nauru
          • Nepal
          • Netherlands
          • New Caledonia
          • New Zealand
          • Nicaragua
          • Niger
          • Nigeria
          • Niue
          • Norfolk Island
          • North Korea
          • Northern Mariana Islands
          • Norway
          • Oman
          • Pakistan
          • Palau
          • Palestinian Territories
          • Panama
          • Papua New Guinea
          • Paraguay
          • Peru
          • Philippines
          • Pitcairn Islands
          • Poland
          • Portugal
          • Puerto Rico
          • Qatar
          • Republic of the Congo
          • Réunion
          • Romania
          • Russia
          • Rwanda
          • Saba
          • St. Barthelemy
          • Saint Helena
          • St. Kitts and Nevis
          • St. Lucia
          • Saint Martin
          • St. Pierre-et-Miquelon
          • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
          • Samoa
          • San Marino
          • Sao Tome and Principe
          • Saudi Arabia
          • Senegal
          • Serbia
          • Seychelles
          • Sierra Leone
          • Singapore
          • Sint Eustatius
          • Slovakia
          • Slovenia
          • Solomon Islands
          • Somalia
          • South Africa
          • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
          • South Korea
          • South Sudan
          • Spain
          • Sri Lanka
          • Sudan
          • Suriname
          • Swaziland
          • Sweden
          • Switzerland
          • Syria
          • Tahiti
          • Taiwan
          • Tajikistan
          • Tanzania
          • Thailand
          • Togo
          • Tokelau
          • Tonga
          • Trinidad and Tobago
          • Tunisia
          • Turkey
          • Turkmenistan
          • Turks and Caicos Islands
          • Tuvalu
          • U.S. Virgin Islands
          • Uganda
          • Ukraine
          • United Arab Emirates
          • United Kingdom
          • United States
          • Uruguay
          • Uzbekistan
          • Vanuatu
          • Vatican
          • Venezuela
          • Vietnam
          • Wake Island
          • Western Sahara
          • Yemen
          • Zambia
          • Zimbabwe
    • Close
  • Travel Medicine
    • Travel Medical Services
        • Travel Vaccines
        • Travel Health Consultations
        • Travellers’ Diarrhea Kits
        • Dengue Fever Prevention
        • Malaria Prevention
        • Chikungunya Prevention
        • Zika Prevention
        • Ebola Virus
    • Close
  • Vaccinations
    • Key Travel Vaccines
        • Typhoid
        • Yellow Fever
        • Hepatitis A
        • Japanese Encephalitis
        • Rabies
    • Other Travel Vaccines
        • Cholera
        • Hepatitis B
        • Meningitis
        • Polio
        • Tickborne Encephalitis (TBE)
    • Routine Vaccinations
        • Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis
        • Measles-Mumps-Rubella
        • Influenza (Flu)
    • Close
  • Other Services & Pricing
    • Pricing and Services
      • Pricing
      • Physician Referral Program
    • Close
  • Locations
    • London – Euston Travel Clinic
    • Close
Travellers' diarrhoea is a real threat to all travellers. Ensure you're protected.

We’re here to help.
Ring us up at
or book your appointment online.

Travellers’ Diarrhoea Medicine and Remedies

Passport Health offers a variety of options for travellers throughout the world.
Travel
Health
Services

Contact Passport Health today
Ready to Travel?
Book Your
Appointment Now!

See what vaccinations or medications may be recommended for your specific destination.
Destination
Specific
Advice

Passport Health offers a variety of ways to prevent travellers' diarrhea.
Travelers’
Diarrhoea Kits
Available

Travellers’ diarrhoea is the most common illness affecting international travellers. The symptom is so well known that it has earned many nicknames, including “Montezuma’s Revenge”, “Pharaoh’s Revenge,” and “Delhi Belly”. Recent studies show up to 70 percent of travellers will come down with diarrhoea symptoms during their trip.

Often, travellers’ diarrhoea itself is not an illness. It is usually a symptom of infection like food poisoning or e. coli. The best way to avoid travellers’ diarrhoea is to avoid these diseases.

Travellers’ diarrhoea can occur anywhere, at home or abroad. Eating at a less clean restaurant or drinking unfiltered water can lead to the symptom. The regions with the highest risk are:

  • Latin America
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Middle East

While these regions have an increased risk, travellers’ diarrhoea can occur anywhere.

People with a high risk of becoming ill include young adults, immunosuppressed persons, people with chronic diseases such as Crohn’s disease or diabetes, and those who are taking H-2 blockers or antacids that lower the stomach’s ability to kill germs.

Travellers’ diarrhoea is caused by eating or drinking contaminated food or water. Most often, the infection is from e. coli, but other diseases like cholera, typhoid or norovirus can cause the symptom. Bacterial infections are responsible for up to 80 percent of travellers’ diarrhoea cases.

Most often, these infections spread through a food worker not washing their hands before preparing a meal. Improper sanitation within a kitchen or other similar area can also lead to infection. Fruit, vegetables and other items should be washed with clean water before eating to avoid contamination.

Travellers’ diarrhoea can show symptoms just a few hours after exposure. But, they usually appear within one to two days. It is possible to have more than one bout of travellers’ diarrhoea during a trip.

The most common symptoms of travellers’ diarrhoea are:

Need a Typhoid, Cholera or Hepatitis A Vaccine?

Vaccination provides additional protection against some sources of travellers' diarrhoea.Ensure you’re protected

Visit our vaccinations page to learn more.

  • Passing three or more loose stools in 24 hours
  • An urgent need to defecate
  • Abdominal (stomach) cramps
  • Fever and/or vomiting

Bacterial diarrhoea lasts three to seven days. Viral diarrhoea lasts two to three days. Protozoal diarrhoea can last months without treatment.

Travellers’ diarrhoea kits can help you overcome symptoms quickly. Ring or book online now to get yours from a local Passport Health.

As with many infections, it is easier to prevent travellers’ diarrhoea than treat it. Prevention comes in two forms, medication or vaccination and good travel habits.

The NHS advises travellers to take care when selecting food or drink. Only drink or use safe drinking water. This water should be bottled or filtered. Wash your hands often with soap and water.

Be sure any food you eat has been cooked well. Peel any fruits or vegetables you may eat and be sure to wash them with clean water. While street food can be tempting, it is best to avoid vendors. Use your hotel conceirge or other services to learn where are the safest and best places to eat in your destination.

Vaccinations against food- or waterborne infections like typhoid, cholera or hepatitis A are another great form of protection. These vaccines provide the best protection against their respective diseases.

Most cases of travellers’ diarrhoea resolve themselves within a few days. But, travellers don’t have time to wait for the problem to go away.

There are a variety of options available to help fight travellers’ diarrhoea when it occurs. These include:

  • Antibiotics – These are commonly prescribed for the treatment of travellers’ diarrhoea. The specific antibiotic chosen is based on the likelihood a person is infected with an invasive organism, and how resistant the organism is to antibiotics. Both factors are largely determined by the travellers’ destination. For more information on travellers’ diarrhoea antibiotics, contact Passport Health, or your local physician.
  • Oral Rehydration Tablets – Also known as oral rehydration salts, these will help with keeping a person hydrated during infection.
  • Anti-Motility Medications – Such as loperamide, diphenoxylate, and paregoric are not recommended for use in self-treatment for travellers’ diarrhoea. This is due to the risk of side effects and complications.

Various combinations of the above items are available in Passport Health travellers’ diarrhoea kits. Ring or book online now to get yours.

If the diarrhoea continues for more than one or two days after beginning treatment, you may need additional medical care, follow up with a primary care provider.

On This Page:
What is Travellers’ Diarrhoea?
Where Does Travellers’ Diarrhoea Occur?
How Does Travellers’ Diarrhoea Spread?
What Are the Symptoms of Travellers’ Diarrhoea?
How Do I Prevent Travellers’ Diarrhoea?
How Is Travellers’ Diarrhoea Treated?

US - EnglishUS – EnglishCA – EnglishCA - FrançaisCA – FrançaisUK - EnglishUK – EnglishRest of World - EnglishRest of World – English
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Automatic Data Collection Statement
  • Sitemap
Schedule Your Appointment
Questions? Please call or E-mail Us
Connect With Us
Passport Health UK on Facebook
Passport Health on Twitter
Passport Health on Instagram
Passport Health on LinkedIn
Passport Health is a CQC regulated organization

Passport Health is an Outlier business Passport Health es una empresa que pertenece al grupo Outlier Passport Health est une entreprise du groupe Outlier Copyright © 2023

This website or its third-party tools use cookies to improve functionality and performance. By continuing to browse this site, you are consenting to the use of cookies illustrated in our automatic data collection statement.Accept