Tourist Health and Sanitation In Thailand |
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Travelers are rightfully
concerned about diseases they may come into contact with while visiting parts of
Thailand and this is usually attributed to people not adhering to a few simple
rules. Let me start by saying that Thais often have a tolerance of the water and
certain micro-organisms that would make some travelers sick, so lets start with
the water. The water is not clean enough to drink in many hotels of 2nd,
and 3rd class categories as they lack the water purification systems found in
the better hotels. Therefore, I recommend that you do not drink their tap
water and this means that you should even brush your teeth with bottled water. A
plastic bottle of water is a good thing to carry with you as you tour the city
and will help from dehydration on those long hot days. Tap water in most places
is not considered safe and is not even drank by the locals.
If you prefer to get a soft drink
as you walk around the city and you choose to enjoy it at a local restaurant,
there are two things to be concerned with. First, the ice. If a glass
arrives with cylindrical shaped ice with a hole in the center of each cube,
that means that it is probably from a gov't approved ice factory and the ice is safe to
consume. But, if the glass you are using was washed in dirty water, then
you have a different problem. This could apply to the plate, spoon and fork as
well. Always wipe off the silverware with your tissue (paper napkin) before
using it. Again, this doesn't apply to the upscale hotel eateries. Your safest
bet when consuming drinks when you are out-and-about is to select drinks that
have been refrigerated (already cold). You need only to wipe off the top of the
can or unscrew the plastic bottle and it is safe to drink. Thais always use a
straw when drinking bottled water, cans of soda, bottles of ice tea, etc. |
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When eating out, common sense, comes into play. Look around at the place you are about to
dine at. If you have been brave enough to choose from a vender selling on the street, look and see
if they are washing their dishes on the street in one tub of water... if so, then its definitely time to
leave. Dishes should be washed in clean water and then rinsed to remove soap and excess dirt.
With that said, the great majority of the time eating at food stands on the street are perfectly safe
even if you see they are using their hands and have never heard of gloves or tongs, Eating boiled
or fried dishes is one of the safest foods as the bacteria is usually killed after the item (chicken,
for example) has been cooked or sauteed and has reached 155º F. |
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Many say it is safe if boiled, cooked, or peeled. That is not always true as the fruit you
have peeled may have been grown in contaminated water or soil, however, I've found it to be very
rare that oranges, bananas, rambutan, etc have made people sick.
WHAT GENERALLY MAKES PEOPLE SICK IS POOR HYGIENE.
If you buy fruit or a salad that is prepared by somebody using their
hands BE CAREFUL! They
will more likely be the villain for you getting sick as they handle the money,
the food, and maybe not even wash their hands after using the toilet. ...This
can make you sick! |
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GETTING SHOTS BEFORE YOU TRAVEL |
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As a resident of Thailand for
about 9 years I will address this with my experience and what I believe most
people do prior to their trip to Asia. First of all, I know many people hate to
get an injection for anything, let alone a preventative measure for their
travels. As the risk may be very small and most people get No shots prior to
coming to Thailand, there are some things to consider. Mosquitos can carry
diseases, which may not be common in your home country, as well as carriers of
malaria and other diseases. When up-country or outside in the early evening, it
is recommended that you wear clothing that covers your body (light jacket or
long-sleeve shirt and pants rather than shorts) to minimize the risk of being
bitten. If you think it is too hot to wear so much clothes then stop eating al
fresco, especially near rivers or other parts of water, and opt for eating
indoors. If your plans include a trip upcountry, or to Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam
or Myanmar then I would definitely recommend getting the necessary inoculations
and get them at least 30 days before you leave.
My personal note: About 4 years ago I found myself with a small irritation on my
left hip which soon became similar to a boil and within a week it grew in size
to something similar to a half-grapefruit. It became extremely painful and
forced me to go to a hospital. I chose to fly back to America where I had a team
of infectious diseases at a hospital completely stumped but said that they
thought it was a result of a mosquito bite that injected me with something only
familiar to the doctors and hospitals here in Asia. After about a month and a
lot of antibiotics, the infection finally subsided and after time, it left
no evidence of ever being on my body.
Now with all that information, I must say that my dad has been coming to Bangkok
for
almost yearly for the past 9 years (he is now 82 years old) and he has never
gotten any shots, other than a tetanus shot, prior to his trips and never had a problem and I have never
heard of any serious conditions of persons as a result of not getting shots. I
have heard of people getting sick as a result of not paying attention to proper
sanitation when dining out. |
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