General measures to prevent travellers' diarrhoea

The risk of travellers’ diarrhoea can be reduced by taking simple precautions in areas where access to clean water and food hygiene cannot be guaranteed. These precautions include selecting freshly cooked foods that are served steaming hot; fruit that can be peeled; and beverages that are bottled, canned or recently boiled. Travellers should avoid raw or undercooked food (particularly meat or seafood), fresh salads, peeled fruit, unpasteurised milk or milk products, unboiled water and ice. Foods sold by roadside vendors often pose the greatest infection risk. Travellers should perform hand hygiene regularly including after toileting and before consuming food.

There is insufficient evidence that the currently available cholera vaccine protects against travellers’ diarrhoea caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC); it is not licensed for this indication in Australia.