Getting "Sick" in China

[tonado]

I went to Nanning twice and didn't get sick. I did take IM AD. I even rinsed my mouth with tap water after brushing my teeth. My wife's sister went to visit Nanning a week ago and she got a cold and now skin allergy. No fun to be sick on vacation.

[tywy_99]

...I also carried along Cipro, just in case. Never used it.

[mtbdude]

chairman mao's revenge 3 out of 5 times there. had to see a doc once.

 

have eaten many east l.a. burritos over the course of many years, and have had only a couple of memorable experiences.

 

hey, it's a great way to lose weight. lost 10 lbs on one trip.

[Jeikun]

lol... yeah the "Mao's revenge diet"

 

On a serious note though. I will repeat myself. I may even make a seperate thread about it, I feel so strongly about it. ANYONE going to China.... GET THE HEPATITIS SHOTS. It's just not worth the risk. Especially when the prevention is such a simple thing.

[frank1538]

I was worried when my wife and stepdaughter came over here that they would have some initial intestinal trouble from not being accustomed to the local flora but surprisingly they had none.

I had the same concerns, but they seem to have been unfounded. This leads me to believe that it is more than just the different strains of bacteria that exist in our stomachs.

 

Jingwen has a habit of leaving leftovers out rather than putting them in the refrigerator. She just re-cooks the food, sometimes to boiling temperatures, sometimes not. Fortunately, even this has not caused any stomach problems, even for me, but it reminds me of the old rhyme: Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold. Peas porridge in the pot, nine days old.

 

Minghao, on the other hand, learned the hard way what a cup of coffee can do to your digestive track. When he started high school, he had to start getting up early to catch the bus. I always put on a pot of coffee in the morning when I get up, so he decided that a little caffeine would help him stay awake. It was then that he realized that one cup of coffee for someone who never had any before can run through your system faster than greased lightening. He has since decided not to drink coffee.

[johns]

Never really been sick with the digestive. But I do keep the cipro handy.

Also very easy to get here at the pharmacy if needed.

 

Chest infection and colds are rampant with me living here in South China.

 

Every couple months I seem to attact some kind of bacterial infection. I NEVER got sick when living in USA. I eat healthy eat and excercise often.

 

China is one big germ bag in my experience.

 

Maybe I should try the juice thing.

 

john

[beijingjenny]

Good point John. While I have fewer digestive probs, I seem to perpetually have some minor infection, evidenced by low grade fevers which never quite do me in (minus during the SARS scare!) but make me quite exhausted.

[LiuXia's Husband]

... and now skin allergy.

My wife just complained of a skin allergy (almost sounded like measles to me- I wonder if Chinese have childhood vaccinations). The doctor said it could be from the water or the western vitamins (Centrum) that I gave her.

 

Hepatitus shot are always a good idea, even in USA, especially if you have had hepatitus previously.

[natrigon]

lol... yeah the "Mao's revenge diet"

 

On a serious note though.  I will repeat myself.  I may even make a seperate thread about it, I feel so strongly about it.  ANYONE going to China.... GET THE HEPATITIS SHOTS.  It's just not worth the risk.  Especially when the prevention is such a simple thing.

I've been over 5 times now. Brushed with tap, drank bottled or coke (NOT PEPSI) never got sick. We stayed in middle class Shenzhen hotels and family's apt in Sichuan, Dazhou. Ate street vendors food if Mei said it was OK.

 

But here is the secret....

 

In Sichuan eat the very spicy food, no bacteria can survive, LOL. Wow is some of that stuff hot. Definately agree on the HEP A&B shots. The whole HEP series takes 6 months, 3 doses so start now.

[yyp]

I have visit China six times over the last few years, the first three times I picked up the flu bug. The last three trips have been fine, I think maybe I caught all the local bugs the first three trips and built up my immune system.

 

It was on my fourth trip while SARS was a hot topic that I began to take anti-bacterial hand soap with us while we are out to cleanse our hands. I also attempt to avoid anyone who appears to have a cold or flu in public.

 

The cool part of traveling there during the SARS period was after I was home a week our staff had freaked out and the owner told me to stay home a week. It was a small bonus vacation with pay!

 

I have not feared eating from the street vendors and have enjoyed many treats on our walks. I do look to see that they are reasonably clean and certainly do not eat any birds from the cages.

 

As in the U.S. it is common sense to avoid colds and the flu, wash your hands frequently and keep you hands away from your face. Avoid people coughing and sneezing in public.

 

My take on catching the flu a few times in China is that it has exposed my body to new strains making my immune system hardier.

 

I would advise caution if you are traveling away from large cities with modern hospitals in accepting shots. There have been issues with the repackaging and resell of used hypodermic needles. This has been documented to have spread diseases, including HIV.

[awch]

when i first came to live in china i got sick every other month with a horrible cold. i had vitamins sent to me from the US and now i never get sick.

[chuckandshuping]

3 trips to China and never got sick there. Last time I was there for 6 weeks. I just didn't think about it. We ate in our apartment most of the time, but also ate at the street vendors and in various resturants. I think it has a lot to do with mental attitude too. If you think you are going to get sick, you very well could. My problem was coming back to the states. As soon as I landed in LA, I thought an American meal would be good. Got sick as a dog. I think my system got so used to eating everything fresh, that all of the preservatives and grease here just got to me.