Diarrhea; the potential killer for travelers

Food poisoning can cause diarrhea and diarrhea kills. It is more serious when it occurs to people on transit hence the name traveler’s diarrhea. To me a couple of years ago, every journey was an epic story and the question of food poisoning never lingered my mind. However this is not so when you are away from home; your choices are limited and at times you eat what comes your way. Tonight I will share with you three points to remember about food, and more so when away from home

Ten years ago we embarked on a mission together with 63 of my colleagues while in college, to reach out to the communities in Northern Kenya. We centralized our base for community activities at Laisamis Secondary school in Marsabit district. One evening we cooked rice and camel meat for supper. The meal was so mouth-watering that i told myself whatever remained would be my lunch for the next day. The following day 7 of my colleagues and I decided to take the previous nights food instead of the Githeri that had been prepared lunch. Little did we know that the leftover mixture of rice and camel meat had turned poisonous overnight, thanks to the high temperatures which propagate bacteria growth and spoil food even in the cover of darkness. After lunch we had a free afternoon so we tried some volleyball game; it is in the volley pitch that tragedy struck. Our referee left his stool and sat down in a slow motion style and that marked the end of the game. He had caught real time diarrhea

The fastest means to ferry him to hospital was by use of a wheelbarrow. He was bundled into the one legged container and as we pushed him to hospital I felt an urge to vomit. At some point i thought I had vomited out the organs of my digestive system. Our physically energetic team leader carried me on his back and we were all rushed to Laisimis mission hospital located on a slope a kilometer away from the school. Upon reaching the hospital the nurses rushed us into the ward full of canvas beds; each bed had a conspicuous hole at the middle and a large plastic bucket underneath.  I later learnt that these types of beds are commonly known as “Cholera beds”. We were meant to relieve ourselves from the comfort of our beds as we writhed in excruciating pain emanating from our stomachs. No sooner had we been laid to the bed than our colleagues who brought us to hospital went down one after the other with loud cries of “my stomach! my stomach”! – Our saviors turned victims of the tragedy of the deadly leftover meal of rice and camel meat.  They joined us in our canvas beds with a big hole and a bucket underneath! That became our home for the next two days. We were at the brick of death were it not for the quick response of the nurses who rehydrated us with drips and drips of fluids and electrolytes. Even being airlifted to Isiolo district hospital could not have saved us, besides the fact that we dint have even a light aircraft, all that we had was a wheelbarrow. I guess the following day’s papers could have read “students die of diarrhea while on a mission in Northern Kenya”.

Food poisoning is a serious threat to travelers; eating snacks prepared on the roadside, as we see on bus stops in Nairobi, and buying roasted maize from peddlers who by all standards do not qualify to handle food can cause travelers diarrhea.  It is certain that you would curse the day traveler’s diarrhea would get hold of you while on the crazy Nairobi traffic and am certain some of us have a story to tell.

1. If you don’t preserve food it can turn poisonous and you may end up catching real time diarrhea whose repercussions are detrimental to health
2. Incase you get diarrhea get to the nearest hospital in whichever means available. If you will use an aircraft, or a lorry, a wheelbarrow or be carried on someone’s back just ensure you get to the hospital. You better find yourself writhing in pain in a canvas bed with a hole in the middle and a bucket underneath rather that die of dehydration occasioned by diarrhea and vomiting
3. Develop discipline on the choices of food you eat. Avoid buying snacks on the roadside and eating foods in unhygienic places!

Here is a solemn call “when on a journey do not be ignorant of the foods you eat especially now that you know bad food can cause diarrhea, and diarrhea kills”!