Watch out for parasites! - Page 3

sjh · #21 07-10-2002, 05:47 PM

what a bunch of panicy germaphobes...

Just use common sense people. Drink bottled water, avoid salad, be sure your cup and plate are dry before using them.

Ken · #22 07-10-2002, 08:39 PM

The hands are a source of food contamination that drinking bottled or treated water, avoiding salads, and making sure your cup and plate are dry will not protect you from.

As you move around outside your resort complex, some of the bathrooms you make use of won't provide soap, and even the water might not be working (in many locations the central water authority shuts off service to different areas for varying lengths of time).

What my wife does when we are away from home and involved in activities where washing the hands might be important is to carry a small package of "baby wipes" that she has purchased in a farmacia or supermarket. These are intended to clean the bottom of a baby but work well on the hands when soap and water aren't available.

Anyone who plans to get out of the resort complex during their visit should consider carrying a small package of baby wipes or a tube of a cream or gel they can buy before leaving on their trip that is intended to clean the hands. (My wife carried a tube of this hand cleaner when we were in Venezuela.)

Taking precautions to keep yourself well during your stay in the DR is not being a "germaphobe". It is just a matter of identifying the main sources of infection/contamination then taking steps to protect yourself from them. You may still have problems--a risk anyone takes when they travel and have to accustom themselves to different food, water that has a different mineral content than what they are used to, etc. But you can go a long way to lessen the likelihood of becoming as sick as ms. mathilda was during her visit.

ms.mathilda · #23 07-10-2002, 08:45 PM

I'm not sure what you are talking about in your post. Have you ever come down with a parasite? they are not fun!
I started this post to try to prevent others from getting these amoebas. I am not panicky or a germaphobe (whatever that means) as I'm sure others who have posted aren't as well.
i found this advice extremely helpful and wish i had known some of these things before I visited the DR again.

arroyodmb brought up some very good points. Sanitation practices are a lot different in the DR then in other places. Who knows I could have touched bacteria and started biting my finger nails to get the parasite. I did drink bottled water and did not eat salad. You just never know. Common sense is not the only way to prevent getting a parasite. Nobody wants to get sick!

Ken · #24 07-10-2002, 09:31 PM

There have been a lot of posts advising people to bring latex condoms, etc., but very few on protecting yourself from the other health dangers you may be exposed to. Judging from the number of people who have already looked at this thread, it is a subject of interest to many.

The one thing that I disagree with you on is your final statement re common sense. It is the best way to prevent getting attacked by a parasite. But common sense is a whole lot more than "drinking bottled water, avoiding salad, and waiting until your cup and plate are dry."

Making sure your hands are clean before you touch anything likely to go in your mouth is common sense. If you know in advance that at least some of the bathrooms you will use outside your resort comlex won't have soap and may not have water, seems to me it is common sense that you will prepare yourself in advance.

If you know in advance that at least some of those same bathrooms will not have toilet paper, seems to me it is common sense to be prepared (when my wife and I travel away from home we each carry a small supply of toilet paper in a baggie for emergency use).

The value of the thread you started is that it provides a place to make people aware of some of the potential health-related situations they will find themselves in and to offer some suggestions on how to deal with them. Not putting your hand on a hot stove is common sense, but only if you have had a bad experience or have learned of the danger in some other way. Warning someone not to put their hand on a hot stove is not a sign that the warner has phobia about stoves.

sjh · #25 07-10-2002, 10:13 PM

first, I have never stayed in a resort, always with friends and family.

second, some of the advice, especaily that of the original post was wise and appropriate for the location.

third, treating your purchased bottle is total over kill. So is carrying around little wipes to keep your dainty fingers from getting all icky.

All the people i know who have got sick, have either drank too much, been eating salad, drinking water from the tap, swimming in an unchlorinated pool. I am sure there are exceptions to this but in the 12 years and dozens of friends I know who have visited there, those are the 4 (yes FOUR) cases I know of where someone has got sick.

andy a · #26 07-10-2002, 10:26 PM

Again, thanks Ken for the excellent information and for your patience.

If nothing else, diarrhea (even if moderate) is common in the DR, so it makes sense to be careful with the food and water.

I also like to be able to clean my hands before eating or after visiting a filthy restroom. I carry individually wrapped towelettes (bought in the US of course), similar to the ones that were given with meals on airlines in the good old days.

I also carry individually wrapped toilet seat covers. Even if I don't plan to need one in a public restroom, a female companion will appreciate having them.

Another very useful item to carry, although it isn't health related, is an LED keychain flashlight. The triple combination of light, long battery life, and miniature size is great for coping with the power outages.

By the way, it is NOT necessary to take latex condoms to the DR. An excellent brand, Bareback, is sold there.

Ken · #27 07-11-2002, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by shadley000
So is carrying around little wipes to keep your dainty fingers from getting all icky.

Glad to find we have such an expert in our midst, Shadley000. While I offer suggestions based on personal experience, you make pronouncements.

I don't carry wipes because I mind getting my hands dirty, I carry them because I don't like to eat a sandwich, etc., when my hands are "icky" from who knows what. Cave dwellers thought nothing of eating when their hands were filthy, but most of us have advanced beyond that stage. If you are accustomed to cleaning your hands after using the bathroom, or before eating, when you are home, why should you do othewise just because you are in the Dominican Republic?

If you have never found yourself in a bathroom without soap and/or water in the Dominican Republic, then your travels can't have taken you far from the homes of "friends and family."

BTW, the penalty for not cleaning your hands after using the bathroom can be a lot more severe than a parasite. There are also diseases like hepatitis to consider.

sjh · #28 07-11-2002, 10:43 AM

ken,

you know nothing about me or my experiences in the DR.

Since you are such an expert, please continue to grace us with you germaphobic paranoia. Be sure not to touch the filthy natives when you visit. Keep your windows rolled up and your AC on. Spray everything with insecticide and never leave the AI.....

Ken · #29 07-11-2002, 11:20 AM

Anyone interested in the subject of purity of bottled water should do a google search for bottled water+purity. Eye opening info about the bottled water sold in the US. For starters, take a look at http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/nbw.asp

To Shadley000 (btw, what does the 000 stand for? your boiling point?),why do you make such ridiculous statements? I didn't pretend that I know about you or your experiences in the DR, I only stated that while I offer suggestions you make pronouncements.

Since you have raised the question of credentials, my wife and I have lived in the Dominican Republic since 1986, for many years in Samana and now in Sosua. We touch the "natives", our windows are always open for the breeze, we don't have AC, we make little use of insecticide (unless I see a cockroach), and I have never, ever stayed in an AI other than my home.

Sunny · #30 07-11-2002, 11:41 AM

Thank you Ken for your information. I lived in the Dominican Republic for many years and your advice makes a lot of sense. Travellers just aren't used to the different germs and need to take precautions. I would even use some of it for back packing trips here the good ole US of A!!!!!! I already carry a little bottle of antibacterial soap in my vehicle to use after walking my dog and picking up after him. There just isnt always a good water source everywhere one goes!!!
Anyways, I appreciate the info even if not everyone does! Why cant people just take what they like from these posts and leave the rest!!!!!!
Sunny