HEALTH DURING YOUR EGYPT TOUR (Part tour)

Two local foods you will often see being sold in cafes, restaurants and street stalls, are falafel (known in Egypt as ta'amiya) and kosheri. Both are cheap, easily obtained, and suitable for vegetarians, as well as being exceedingly delicious. Falafel is a traditional food which is basically a flattened ball made from ground chickpeas or fava beans before being deep fried in boiling vegetable oil for a few minutes. It is usually served in Egyptian pita bread known as “shami”, with the falafel being put into the open pocket along with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini sauce. The falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack.

Koshari is also a traditional Egyptian dish and it is very popular with the locals. It is made from a mixture of rice, brown lentils, chickpeas, spaghetti, macaroni and fried onions, with a topping of Egyptian garlic and vinegar with a spicy tomato sauce. Koshari is one of the most inexpensive and common dishes in Egypt, with many restaurants specializing in this one dish.
One of the most common ailments to hit travellers to Egypt is diarrhoea, and this has been blamed on everything form unclean food to food poisoning and has a plethora of names, though Pharaoh’s Revenge tends to be the most popular. But this tends to be a misdemeanour and most travellers, to be brutally frank, will not look at their own selves for the blame; it has to lie elsewhere! Though standards of cleanliness do tend to accompany the star ratings of hotels and cruises, the lower the rating the lower the standard of cleanliness, not all cases of diarrhoea can be blamed on them. Those minute bacteria in the stomach are the major culprits.

It is always amazing how one person in a group, who falls foul to illness, always tries to blame the food; the food that everyone else in the group has been eating; yet a simple piece of detective work can usually find the source of the blame.

In many hotels now, and on almost all cruises, food is served in an open buffet, where you can take your plate and help yourself. Many people take this opportunity to gorge themselves, ensuring they get their monies worth, but this is the biggest recipe for disaster that there is. It has already been mentioned above how fresh and more textured Egyptian fruits and vegetables are, something the stomach microbes are not used to, and there is usually one or two ways this overload can be handled: vomiting and/or diarrhoea! Overindulgence is the biggest cause of stomach problems in Egypt and this also applies to those who have lived in the country for many years as well. Yet no one ever admits to this; it is the food’s fault, even though the rest of the guests are sitting at the table; not on the toilet! But this does not just apply to the fruit and vegetables, many meats are also on the menus, but as these are prepared differently to what you are used to, they will have a taste you have not had before, often causing the urge to get more. New foods are also available, which many people will taste, enjoy and eat more of. The poor microbes are being forced to work harder and harder now, with only one or two ways to stop it.

The other biggest cause of illness is not so obvious, especially as it is something available throughout the world and is used without a thought: air-conditioning! Whether this is in a hotel room or in a cruise cabin, this method of keeping cool can be hazardous to health. Why? Well, when outside you body is being subjected to high temperatures, which is why you perspire and drink lots of water. If you go back to your room/cabin, turn the air-conditioning on full, then lay down to relax, you can quite easily catch cold, get back pains and make your natural immune system vulnerable, bringing on sickness, diarrhoea, vomiting and dehydration. It is far healthier to return to your accommodation, sit in the shade of the lobby for a while, perhaps enjoying a cold drink, and acclimatise to the less hot surroundings. Then, once back in the room/cabin, do not turn the air-conditioning on full; adjust it as the room/cabin heats up.

Extremes of hot and cold can be bad for your system, so take time to let your body adjust. A few minutes doing this can save a few hours, or even days, being incapacitated.
Should you fall foul of diarrhoea, there are two excellent remedies that are easily purchased from any pharmacy. They are called Antinal and Entocid (or Entoseed) and are Egypt’s equivalent to Imodium, but a lot faster and longer lasting. No prescription needed and the patient is soon up on his/her feet again.

Another myth to be dispelled here is the one regarding malaria. There is NO malaria in Egypt and there has been none for over 50 years. Sadly, because Egypt is in Africa, many doctors automatically advise injections or tablets without referring to their notes first. This causes much grief as the major side effect of anti-malaria cures is diarrhoea and those who take tablets are often on them throughout their stay. Obviously this ruins their holiday and needlessly as well. So, if you are told you need them, argue the point and do not fall for a doctor who is either too lazy to check, or wants the extra income.

Finally a few short words about prescription medicines. Many people often ask if it is okay to bring them, especially if they are going to another country after being to Egypt. The simple answer to this is yes, of course it is. Bring any medicines which you regularly take, if you need them, and also bring any prescriptions as well, which will help in the worst case scenario of you falling ill and a doctor needing to be called. But do remember to bring enough for your stay, do not bring more than is actually needed; it will be a lot easier to explain why you have them should you be asked.