Tourists either love or hate India. There seems to be no middle ground. No one ever says " Oh, it was okay, I guess". From my many years living in South Asia, I find there is a strong correlation between enjoying the area and staying well. So hopefully the following few hints will start a good discussion that help those of you who are planning to visit India, Nepal, Bhutan, SriLanka, Pakistan or Bangladesh.
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Wash your hands regularly, using hand-cleanser if no soap and water is available.
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Keep your hands out of your mouth.
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Eat only hot cooked food. Avoid salads like the plague.
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Drink only bottled water and check that the seal is intact.
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Do not believe that water is filtered just because someone says it is.
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Assume all tap water is contaminated and avoid getting water in your mouth when showering.
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Use bottled water when brushing teeth.
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If bottled water is unavailable, consider buying some tincture of iodine and putting 2 drops in each liter of water. Wait 20 minutes before drinking it.
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When eating mangoes, grapes, etc, soak them in iodised water (10 drops / liter). For this purpose it is a good idea to pack some larger good quality plastic bags.
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Although disinfectant wipes are over-used in the West, there is a case for taking a pack with you, especially if cutlery and plates look unclean.
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Don’t assume that a more expensive restaurant is necessarily free of germs. Hot street food, cooked in front of you is often safer, e.g. attached photo.
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If traveling, ensure you have the right sorts of pills to avoid embarrassing accidents.
