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Prevention of Amoebiasis
Amoebiasis can be prevented by good hygiene and sanitary conditions. This is taken for granted in most of the western world, but is an enormous challenge for people living in poor conditions in developing countries, where there is poor or no access to fresh water and disinfectant.
If you are travelling to a country that has a high risk of contamination by the entamoeba histolytica parasite:
- Only drink water that is bottled, or boiled (for 10 minute), or carbonated (bubbly) drinks from sealed cans or bottles.
- Do not drink from public water fountains.
- Make water safe by filtering it through an "absolute 1 micron or less" filter and dissolving iodine tablets in the filtered water. Absolute 1 micron filters can be found in camping/outdoor supply stores.
- Do not eat fresh fruit or vegetables that you did not peel yourself.
- Do not eat or drink milk, cheese, or dairy products that may not have been pasteurised.
- Do not eat or drink anything sold by street vendors, (except sealed bottled or canned drinks).
The risk of spreading the infection is greatly reduced by getting treatment as quickly as possible after infection and practising good hygiene. In particular, this means regular hand washing with soap and water, after using the toilet, changing babies’ nappies and before handling food.
