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Salmonella in the Dominican Republic
Updated: March 13, 2000
Health Canada has received several reports of returning Canadian travellers
with diarrheal disease caused by salmonella bacteria in the Dominican Republic.
The Travel Medicine Program has consulted with the national epidemiologist
in the Dominican Republic to verify if there are any indications of increased
risk of infection as a result of a possible outbreak. National authorities
are investigating the situation. The Travel Medicine Program will update this
notice as more information becomes available.
The risk of acquiring diarrheal disease in tropical places is an on-going
chronic problem for many travellers. National authorities in the Dominican
Republic, however, have advised that, for the past two years, they have been
carrying out specific measures to minimize the risk of travellers acquiring
diarrheal illness in tourist areas. The program includes training of hotel
and resort food handlers in basic sanitation and food processing measures,
monthly unannounced inspections of facilities with special attention to critical
food handling procedures, and the formulation of recommendations for each
inspected hotel. Based on questionnaires administered to tourists during their
return flights to determine if they had diarrheal symptoms, national authorities
have documented a decreasing frequency of diarrhea in persons staying at the
majority of tourist and resort hotels.
Nevertheless, in a tropical zone where exposure to unfamiliar bacteria
may occur, travellers are advised to follow strict food and water precautions
and use good personal hygiene when travelling. The risk of illness will depend
on the quality and purity of the food you eat and the water you drink. Regardless
of where you plan to stay, you should discuss food and water precautions with
a travel medicine clinic or your physician, prior to departure.
GENERAL FOOD AND WATER PRECAUTIONS:
- Eat food that has been well-cooked and is still hot when served.
- Drink only purified water that has been boiled or disinfected with chlorine
or iodine, or commercially bottled water. Make sure that bottled water is
in a sealed container.
- Carbonated drinks without ice, including beer, are usually safe.
- Avoid ice, unless it has been made with purified water.
- Unpasteurized milk should be boiled.
- Avoid unpasteurized dairy products and ice cream.
- Avoid uncooked foods, especially shellfish, and salads. Fruit that can
be peeled is usually safe.
- Avoid food from street vendors
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