Lembeh, polluted water and illness?

[fmerkel]

Saliva? No sure how that would help.
I agree with avoiding antibiotics unless there seems to be no other choice. They've been overuse to the point of creating their own serious problems. The USA is bad enough, cultures where you don't even need a prescription are off the scale.

 

[Dan]

I only use amoxicillin when I catch a flu, not often, may be once every 2 years (knock on wood). It's good to have it handy during a long trip.

 

[WetPup]

I go every year. Sometimes even twice a year...

Only preventative measure I take is using Aquaear (drops for swimmers ear, you may have a different brand name, but chemists sell over the counter) at the end of each diving day. A couple of drops in each ear after my evening shower, let it sit for a few minutes. Done. Never had ear problems.

Lembeh, I should also point out, has been cleaned up a lot in the last 5 years. It's not nearly as bad as it used to be, by a long way.

 

[matts1w]

I'm not sure there is any one way to target what makes bule so sick in Indonesia. Before I moved here I do not think I had thrown up in over ten years, but in my first year in Jakarta I found myself head-in-toilet on at least ten different occasions. Saying definitively it was warung food, seawater in Lembeh, or ice cubes at the resort may or may not be accurate as there is simply too much sketchy. Have you ever looked at some of the bank notes- especially the 1000 and 2000 notes? So freakin dirty. All we can do, especially when on vacation, is practice good prevention. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Do not eat food that has not been cooked or peeled unless you are super confident or have washed it yourself. Salads, gado gado, apples etc... are dangerous.

2. Do not eat street food, but if you do bring your own dish and fork. Often the bucket of filthy water used to wash the kaki lima dishes is far more dangerous than the food.

3. Wash your hands with good soap a lot. Take a lot of showers with good soap.

4. Do not sample local alcohol like arak.

5. Ear beer. Always ear beer.

6. Some of my friends swear Bintang is dangerous... I kind of concur. Always go San Miguel if possible.

Cheers.

 

[billt4sf]

Lembeh, I should also point out, has been cleaned up a lot in the last 5 years. It's not nearly as bad as it used to be, by a long way.

The water or the town or both?

 

[Wingy]

Luckily, I'm an outlier. I have thrown up once while travelling (sashimi in puerto Gallera) - the only other times have been migraines. My doctor refers to my immune system as having forgotten its purpose. I always carry a box of doxyxline which I've taken religiously only in Madagascar when I cut my foot badly the first night of a two week trip. There were no doctors and the chemist had gone to another island so I erred on the side of caution knowing I'd be walking through rivers and mud. I have come home from a trip and within hours been hit with some very serious illness of a viral nature that was never diagnosed then but fits all the symptoms of chikungunya - the hospital never tested for that as there were no known cases in French Polynesia. 2 weeks in ICU wasn't fun.

I try not to eat at Indonesian Warungs unless I'm there's with someone who knows the place. In Thailand I only eat Soi food in certain provinces. Phillipines was Balut season so staying away from street vendors was really really easy.

Ear beer is a necessity though - I also carry Rhinocort nasal spray......just in case.

 

[WetPup]

The water or the town or both?

Both actually. Bitung is cleaner than it used to be, but the water specifically is waaaaaay cleaner now than 5 years ago.

 

[Indah]

The enzymes or antimicrobial agents in Saliva might do the trick? i cannot proof it, nor really understand it. From Wikipedia: antimicrobial agents such as secretory IgA and lysozyme.
Amoxicillin for a flue? How would that help? It is neither advised anymore for real bacterial infections in Indonesia. Only in combination with clavulanic acid.
indeed, do not eat the old bank-notes without doing some money laundering first.

 

[matts1w]

...indeed, do not eat the old bank-notes without doing some money laundering first.

Nice! Very well played.

 

[Dan]

I should say I take antibiotics for getting over bacteria complication of the flu, not for viral illness from the flu. The bacterial complication of the flu such as bacterial pneumonia, ear infection or sinusitis. Flu is a a good indication for me that would lead into that problem & prolong the illness than the flu itself.

I can handle the the flu itself without medicine. I would get plenty of rest, drink plenty of water, breathe steam. If coughing, get cough suppressant syrup. If getting fever, usually it's pretty mild. I'll let it run its course. If it's bad (high fever) I'll get Tamiflu.