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General Health Concerns
Basic health concerns in Europe, from drinking the water to carrying prescription meds, dealing with diarrhea, and what overt-the-counter drugs to pack in your first aid kit
I ain’t gonna lie to you. Travel—especially the high-stress, never-stop, whirlwind variety—puts a strain on your system, and exotic bugs just love a stained system. It’s so much easier to set up housekeeping in you that way.
But I’m mostly talking about colds or maybe the flu here. There are no exotic diseases to worry about in Europe that we don’t already have in the U.S., though occasionally there may be a different flu strain going around that you might pick up more easily than a local would.
That said, you probably won't get much sicker there than you would at home. Note, however, that some cities’ high pollution levels (Athens especially, but any big city, really) can leave your throat a little raw and chest wheezy after a day or two. This usually goes away—but contact-wearers beware; the grit of the pollution can get between the lenses and your eyeball and irritate you no end. I bet you look dashing in those glasses anyway, so bring ‘em just in case.
Can I drink the water in Europe?
Yes, the water in Europe is almost always safe to drink, except on trains (bring bottled water on board, both to drink—trains can be dry—and on overnight runs for tooth brushing, etc). If a water source ever isn't safe, there will be a fairly obvious sign (eau non potable, acqua non potabile, keine trinkwasser) and/or a pictogram of a glass with a slash or X across it.
Occasionally, the differing bacteria in European water fouls up American digestive systems (which are used to their own bacteria), and you'll end up with a mild case of la turista. It shouldn't be too bad, and you won't be sick for long. At any rate, you'll be that much safer if you stick mainly to bottled water (fizzy mineral waters—think Perrier—are one of Europe's everyday pleasures).
The food and upset tummies
One of travel’s little ironies
Pepto, that wonderful hot pink form of bismuth salicilicyte that goes the extra mile to cure la turista, is actually manufactured in Mexico—the very country that gives most U.S. traveler’s their first taste of Montezuma’s Revenge.
Here's something else funny, I happen to be writing this page from a boat on the Nile, where a few of my fellow travelers thus afflicted have renamed this condition "the Curse of the Pharaohs."
The change in diet and so many rich foods usually sidelines one person in five with diarrhea for a day or two—up to a week if you're particularly prone and traveling among the exotic spices of Turkey. It's just one of the many little joys of being a world traveler.
The Pepto-Bismol people were thrilled a few years ago when university researchers discovered that, in addition to calming sour stomachs, settling indigestion, and helping with that hangover, the pink stuff also cures diarrhea (not just treats the symptoms, but actually kills the bacteria).
Carry the tablet or chewable kind (mmm! Pink chalk discs!), because the liquid form presents spillage problems. Take it easy for a day, eat bland foods such as toast, bananas, rice, and tea for two days, and ride it out.
Medications and prescriptions
Take enough of any prescription medication you’re on to last your trip plus one week (just in case). Keep all pills in their original vials—that and an innocent smile will help prove to customs officials that they're prescription drugs, not narcotics. Bring along extra written prescriptions in each drug's generic, chemical name, not a brand name. This type of prescription will help customs officials approve it, and foreign druggists fill it.
From the over-the-counter department, the only necessities are: aspirin (or whichever painkiller works best for you), Dramamine (trust me; European roads and bus drivers can test the most iron of stomachs), Pepto-Bismol tablets or chewables (for indigestion and diarrhea), and decongestant (hint: take it before your flight to cut down on ear-popping). Don't bother carrying tons of the stuff. Everything they have here they have in Europe as well, easily obtainable from any corner farmacia. Remember: Bayer is a German company, after all.
I also throw into my mini first aid kit a couple of gelcap doses of whatever multi-symptom cold and flu meds I happen to have in the bathroom cabinet, just in case I come down with something and can’t find an open pharmacy right away.
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This material was last updated August 2007. All information was accurate at the time.
Copyright © 1998-2008 by Reid Bramblett. All rights reserved.
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