Water in Ukraine

Don’t drink the water fully applies to Ukraine and is the best advice to follow for a healthy trip. Never mind the lead pipes, dodgy sewage systems and a menagerie of gastrointestinal ailments; the water just tastes bad and will make you sick. Drink bottled or boiled water only; tea and hot drinks served in restaurants are safe. Avoid eating undercooked meat and freshwater fish, as they are known to carry worms. Accept that you will get diarrhea at some point and then you won’t be so unhappy when you do, although good hygiene such as wash your hands regularly with soap may help prevent infection. New food and new bacteria are the usual cause of diarrhea in Ukraine and the condition should last only 24 hours. Even if you are taking anti-diarrhea tablets like Imodium, be sure to drink lots of clear fluids to avoid dehydration sachets can be purchased in most pharmacies, but you can make the solution yourself with a teaspoon of salt, eight teaspoons of sugar and a liter of safe water. Bacillary dysentery usually fails to settle after 24 hours, and the diarrhea may contain blood and/or slime or you may have a fever. This may be difficult to distinguish from amoebic dysentery. The latter is a much more serious ailment passed by contaminated food or water and human contact. Besides severe and bloody diarrhea, there may be constant vomiting, stomach pains and a high fever. Another unpleasant, though rare, illness in Ukraine is giardiasis, caused by the protozoan Giardia lamblia. Doctor in Ukraine will also prescribe antibiotic treatments, but I you think you will not be near medical facilities then carry your own supply. Ciprofloaxacin – better known as Cipro (one 500 mg tablet repeated 10-12 hours later) – will usually work for bacillary dysentery; however, you should still seek medical advice as sometimes it needs to be treated for longer. Suspected amoebic dysentery or giardiasis should be  treated with 2g of tinidazole (Fasigyn) taken as four 500 mg tablets in one go, repeated seven days later if symptoms persist. If your tummy feels fine, but your stool appear dark red, don’t panic – you are eating a lot more beetroots (in the form of borsch) than you are accustomed to.