Diarrhoea has foreigners on the run

BANGKOK: -- Acute diarrhoea was the number one cause of illness among foreigners in the country in the first seven months of this year, an epidemiologist at the Disease Control Department revealed yesterday.

Pensri Chitnamsap said 5,133 of 12,456 foreign patients had been suffering from acute diarrhoea. She added that other common illnesses among foreigners were malaria, fever, pneumonia and food poisoning.

"Most foreign patients are working immigrants and their families," Pensri said. She said only 1,060 of the total foreign patients were tourists or those coming to seek medical services in Thailand.

Pensri said 19 of 12,456 foreign patients died from an illness while in the country.

--The Nation 2004-08-16

That's almost 1 out of 500 who die while on holiday here.... Doesn't sound nice. Can this be true?

ASIC

1 of 500 foreign patients .. not tourists.

I think the real question is where does the 12,456 number come from? I can't imagine that this is the entire number of foreign patients that saw a doctor in the first seven months of the year. Perhaps it's the number of foreigners who were admitted to a hospital in that time frame?

Diarrhoea has foreigners on the run

Pensri Chitnamsap said 5,133 of 12,456 foreign patients had been suffering from acute diarrhoea. She added that other common illnesses among foreigners were malaria, fever, pneumonia and food poisoning.

Diarrhoea is not only common among the foreigners, the Thai have the same problems. A reason are often food enhancer, added in huge amounts into the food, so-called Chinese Restaurant Syndrome....

It took me a while to figure that out...now mostly buying my own food, and almost never go to such restaurants, I rarely have a problem with that.

Food poisoning is mostly not because of the food, but of unclean drinking water (like ice-cubes) or because of dirty plates or glasses..... typical for cheap food-stalls along the beach and such places....

Do not believe, that spicy food might protect you, several kind of bacteria are feeling pretty well in very spicy sauces....

Thailad is warm, humid and windy, and bacterias like such a climate a lot....

Pneumonia, malaria....this is not so common among the foreign tourists...pneumonia because of what reason?

19 dead out of 12456 foreigners is not a bad figure, considering that not all of these foreigners are well-off tourists, but workers from neighbouring countries.

I think, 12456 is maybe the number of foreign patients, who were reported for epidemic symtoms when asking for medical help from a General Hospital???

Only 1060 foreign tourists getting seriously sick in Thailand? This also is not a bad figure. Medical service is good in Thailand, if you can pay for it.

I would say that Thailand is pretty good in this repect.

I am not saying I have never had an upset stomach here, but it is rare,

even though I eat out at small local restaurants.

India is much worse.

I am lucky manage a week there without getting the runs, and I am staying and eating in a 5 star hotel.

That's 'Delhi Belly' as against 'Gyppy tummy' when you cruise down the Nile.

That's 'Delhi Belly' as against 'Gyppy tummy' when you cruise down the Nile.

Bombay (Mumbai) actually.