Page 60 - Dreamscapes Magazine | Winter/Spring 2024

SPECIAL FEATURE
THE PERILS
OF PARADISE
How to avoid everything
from diarrhea to mosquito-borne diseases
BY REBECCA FIELD JAGER
Canadians lucky enough to be heading to Mexico or the Caribbean could be in for an unfortunate sur- prise. From travellers’ diarrhea, a condition that may keep you confined to your room in severe cases, to mosquito-borne illnesses that may result in health com- plications upon your return, these are some of the perils in paradise. Happily, however, the risks of getting sick from bad food or bug bites can be significantly lowered. It all begins with education.
Kelly Haggerty, the pharmacist/owner of Bright’s Grove Family Pharmacy near Sarnia, Ontario, recommends talking to a travel health practitioner at least six weeks prior to departure. The holder of a certificate in travel health from the International Society of Travel Medicine, she sees an uptick in consultations around this time of year.
“Often, people ask what the chances of becoming ill are in a certain destination, but figuring out the risk is not that straightforward and is based on a number of factors.”
ASSESSING TRAVEL HEALTH RISKS
Diarrhea is one of the most common illnesses that affect travellers. Assessing the risk of getting diarrhea involves asking the following questions:
Where are you going?
Not all regions across Mexico or countries in the Caribbean present the same risk. Generally, lower socio- economic regions present a higher risk and wealthier regions present a lower one. If you’re travelling to the Dominican Republic, for example, sanitation systems and poor-quality water can make a salad bar, packed with ingredients washed on-site, susceptible to bacteria
60 DREAMSCAPES WINTER/SPRING 2024