CKS is no longer commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE remains committed to providing a replacement service for CKS and is currently reviewing its options. In the meantime, although CKS content is now not being maintained, it still remains relevant and will continue to be made available. CKS content was generated under a programme of topic creation and update. To check if the topic you are viewing is current or out of date, please refer to the topic publication details by clicking on the 'How up-to-date is this topic?' link in the left hand menu on individual topic pages.
Diarrhoea - prevention and advice for travellers - Management
Basis for recommendation
These recommendations are based on published US guidelines and expert opinion [Al-Abri et al, 2005; CDC, 2009; Dupont, 2009; Shah et al, 2009].
Risk of traveller's diarrhoea
- The travel destination is regarded as the most important determinant of risk [CDC, 2009; Dupont, 2009].
- The risk of traveller's diarrhoea is highest for people from developed countries travelling to developing countries, with 30–50% of travellers estimated to develop traveller's diarrhoea during a 1–2 week stay.
- For people travelling to countries with intermediate risk (for example Asia and Russia), the rate is 8–15%.
- The rate is lowest (less than 4%) for people travelling between two low-risk regions (for example between the USA and western Europe).
© NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement