Treating and Diagnosing Illnesses Afield

Treating and Diagnosing Illnesses Afield

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-by Dr. Stephenie Slahor PH.D. A backcountry trip should be a chance to enjoy nature, explore, and relax, but it shouldn’t — and need not be — a time to get hit with stomach problems, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. At home, these symptoms might be fairly easy to treat and tolerate, but afield, they present unanticipated problems and are usually uncomfortable or even difficult to tolerate.

Norovirus, food poisoning, impure water, unsanitary practices, or changes in one’s regular diet can all be causes of such stomach or gastrointestinal troubles.

Food related illnesses afield

A food-related illness can be caused by not cooking food thoroughly or adequately, not storing it at the correct temperatures, contaminated food, or eating something afield that marks a departure from a usual diet that is observed at home, such as glutenfree, lactose-free, vegetarian, etc.

But a food-related illness can also be caused by preparing or cooking food on a contaminated surface or with contaminated/unclean utensils or preparing food with dirty hands. Unfortunately, norovirus can quickly spread from one infected person to another, even through a hug or handshake! That means avoiding direct contact with anyone infected with norovirus and not sharing food or utensils. The affected person needs their own serving of food and utensils to prevent cross-contamination with others.

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To help prevent food-borne illness, be sure the cook and food handlers have used soap and water AND hand sanitizer before preparing or serving food. Everyone, including the diners, should wash their hands often, again, with soap and water, not Just sanitizer. (By the way, handsanitizer should be at least 70% alcohol — something to consider before buying a sanitizer.) Of course, anyone sick should avoid preparing food while sick AND for two days after the symptoms stop.

Food and beverages in camp should be individualized into bowls, plates, cups, and utensils, not shared. If there’s a bowl on the table for ice, meals, or snacks, either shake or pour the item onto an individual’s plate without touching the container to the plate, bowl, or cup or put a utensil in the container so that people can scoop out their own serving. However, be sure everyone’s hands are clean so that utensil doesn’t get contaminated.

Even when you’re just hiking or enjoying the views and not eating, don’t put your unwashed hands in your mouth or onto any food or utensils.

Don’t like what you took, or you took too much? NEVER put it back into the shared container. Dispose of it. (While anyone could be guilty of putting it back, it’s often a common thing for a child to do to avoid eating something or avoiding getting scolded for taking too much. Watch the kiddos in the food line!)

Although most norovirus is related to food-borne pathogens, it can also occur from other nonfood germs or chemicals that have somehow contaminated the food. Even when you’re just hiking or enjoying the views and not eating, don’t put your unwashed hands in your mouth or onto any food or utensils.

Water can cause illnesses too.

Often, a backcountry trek takes you to a spring, waterfall, or stream that looks pristine and pure. But consider it non-potable water, meaning you must filter and chemically disinfect it to prevent norovirus. If you don’t have a filter and chemical water disinfectant, you may have to resort to the old method of boiling the water to help purify it. But be sure it is a vigorous rolling boil and that the water boils for at least one minute at that high rate. A trip afield might see using a cooler or dispenser to store drinking and cooking water. When dispensing the water, pour it so as to avoid touching the container’s nozzle or spigot and the rim or surface of the cup into which the liquid is going.

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And, oh, about that victim of the upset. Do your best to thoroughly clean and disinfect the area immediately where vomit or diarrhea occurs. Be careful, at all times, to avoid touching the substance and any contaminated surfaces. Wear disposable gloves and use a bleach-based cleaner sprayed or poured on the substance, or make a solution of about ¾ cup of bleach to a gallon of water. Leave the disinfectant on the area for at least five minutes.

A little common sense about cleanliness can go a long way to preventing a big problem in the great outdoors!


DR. STEPHENIE SLAHOR’S farm and ranch background includes cattle, horses, mules, donkeys, dogs, cats, sheep, goats, rabbits, birds, chickens, geese, turkeys, and tortoises — but not necessarily all at the same time! She would be one of the first to agree that, indeed, “Variety is the spice of life!” Her degrees are a Ph.D. and a J.D., which, she says, “cost a fortune in time and money, but well worth it!”


Originally published in the March/April 2023 issue of Countryside and Small Stock Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy

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