Dream Vacation Leads to Incurable Disease

Planning a dream vacation can be so much fun and oh so rewarding but educating yourself on travel practices especially regarding food and water is seriously important. What would you do when a dream vacation leads to incurable disease? It is best to plan ahead with the tips found at the end of this article.

When 30-year-old Ella Rhian set off on a dream vacation across Vietnam and Bali, she never imagined a simple meal would alter her future. But after bouts of food poisoning on her vacation, she was diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease. Rhian, who is from London, shared her experience of being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease, in a TikTok video that has been viewed more than 13 million times. “I got food poisoning whilst in Vietnam after eating street food and then a BBQ seafood meal,” Rhian told Newsweek. “And then again in Bali.” But instead of making a full recovery, Rhian said she knew all was not well.

“After the first bout, I knew something felt different in my stomach.” The symptoms worsened shortly after returning home. “A month after getting back, I had extreme stomach issues that kept me up all night and then blood in my stool which carried on for months until I went to the doctors,” she said. She was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a lifelong condition that requires ongoing management. In captioning on the video, Rhian shared: “She doesn’t know it yet but on this holiday, she’s going to eat street food and get food poisoning which will trigger an autoimmune disease with no cure which will make her chronically ill for the rest of her life.”

Madison Reeder, a registered dietitian and director of clinical operations at ModifyHealth, told Newsweek that while food poisoning itself does not cause ulcerative colitis, it could act as a trigger for those already predisposed. “Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a type of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation and ulcers in the lining of the colon and rectum,” Reeder said. “It’s an autoimmune condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks the gut lining, leading to long-term inflammation.”

“UC isn’t caused by food poisoning or eating a specific food,” Reeder explained. “However, an illness or infections, or certain foods, can trigger or worsen symptoms in individuals who already have UC. The exact cause isn’t fully understood, but is believed to involve a combination of genetic predisposition, immune system dysfunction, and environmental factors.”

Rhian was also told by her doctor that the food did not cause her UC, but could have exaggerated symptoms of the disease.

“Of course the doctors said there’s no cause, or you won’t be able to know when it was, but something felt different in my body after that and I believe we know our bodies better than anyone else,” she said.

Thankfully, she is now in remission from UC and doing much better, and she doesn’t regret her trip.

“It has changed my life, but I believe it would’ve happened to me at some point due to genetics, and you can’t live your life in fear of something bad happening. I had the best trip and don’t regret anything,” Rhian said.

Food Tips to Consider When Traveling:

Avoid lukewarm food: Cold food should be served cold, and hot food should be served hot. If you’re selecting food from a buffet or salad bar, make sure the hot food is steaming and the cold food is chilled. Germs that cause food poisoning grow quickly when food is in the danger zone, between 40°F and 140°F.

Dry or packaged foods: Most germs require a damp environment to grow, so foods that are dry, such as potato chips, are usually safe. Additionally, food in factory-sealed containers, such as canned tuna or packaged crackers, are usually safe if they were not opened or handled by another person.

Baby formula: If preparing baby formula, make sure to use a safe source of water per the guidance below.

Raw foods: Avoid eating raw foods. Fruits or vegetables may be safer to eat if you can peel them yourself or wash them in bottled or disinfected water.

• Stay away from cut-up fruit or vegetables. They may have been contaminated during preparation.
• Avoid eating fresh salads, even if finely cut or shredded. They may be contaminated with human or animal waste that even clean water can’t wash off.
• Avoid fresh salsas, condiments, and other sauces made from raw fruits or vegetables.
• Avoid eating raw meat or seafood, including items “cooked” with citrus juice, vinegar, or other acidic liquid (such as ceviche).

Street food: Avoid eating food from street vendors. If you choose to eat street food, follow the same food safety rules as you would with other foods. For example, avoid raw vegetables and eat food cooked and steaming hot.

Bushmeat: Avoid eating bushmeat. Bushmeat refers to local wild game, generally animals not typically eaten in the United States, such as bats, monkeys, or rodents. Bushmeat can be a source of animal-to-human spread of diseases, such as Ebola.

 

Water Tips When Traveling:

Tap water: Do not drink the tap water in countries where the tap water might be contaminated. Avoid swallowing water when showering. Brush your teeth with bottled or disinfected water. Tap water can be disinfected by boiling, filtering, or chemically treating it.

When visiting places with unknown water quality, treat your water to make sure it is safe to drink.

Ice: Do not use ice in destinations with limited access to clean water or where there is a concern about contaminated drinking water because it was likely made with tap water.

Bottled or canned drinks: Drinks from unopened, factory-sealed bottles or cans are safer than tap water; however, use caution as vendors in some countries may replace bottled water with untreated water. Sometimes, a drop of glue can be used to mimic the factory seal. Carbonated drinks in bottles or cans, such as sodas or sparkling water, are typically safe because the bubbles indicate that the bottle was sealed at the factory and not tampered with. Avoid drinks that have ice.

Hot drinks: Hot coffee or tea should be safe if it is served steaming hot. It’s okay to let it cool before you drink. Do not drink coffee or tea that is served warm or at room temperature. Be careful about adding things that may be contaminated to your hot drinks, such as cream or lemon. Sugar is usually okay to eat because it is a dry food.

Milk: Pasteurized milk from a sealed bottle is usually safe to drink. Do not drink milk stored in open containers, such as pitchers, that may have been sitting at room temperature; this includes cream for coffee or tea. Unpasteurized foods carry risks for all travelers; however, it is especially important for pregnant women or people who have a weakened immune system to avoid unpasteurized milk, cheese, and yogurt.

Alcohol: The alcohol content of most liquors kills germs that may have been present in alcohol. When choosing mixers, such as fruit juices, follow the recommendations about what types of food and drink are least likely to have germs. Avoid drinks that have ice.

Fountain drinks: Sodas from a fountain, such as ones in restaurants, are made by carbonating water and mixing it with flavored syrup. Since the water most likely came from the restaurant’s tap, do not drink fountain drinks.

Freshly squeezed juice: Avoid fruit juice, and food and drinks made with freshly squeezed juice made by others. It is fine to drink fruit juice or eat ice pops and other treats if you washed/peeled the fruit in bottled or treated water and squeezed the juice yourself.

For more information on safe travel especially abroad please check out Make Food Safe.