Food, water and mosquito safety while travelling

Make safe water the default

Follow current destination advice about tap water. Where water safety is uncertain, use sealed bottled water or appropriately treated water for drinking and brushing teeth. Check seals and avoid ice unless you know it was made from safe water.

Carry a backup treatment method when travelling remotely. The right option depends on the organism and water quality, so read product instructions rather than assuming every filter or tablet works in every situation.

Choose food by handling, not appearance

Freshly cooked food served piping hot is generally easier to assess than food that has been standing at room temperature. Wash hands before eating, be cautious with raw shellfish and unpasteurised products, and peel fruit yourself where hygiene is uncertain.

A busy stall is not a guarantee of safety, but turnover, clean utensils and separation of raw and cooked food are useful signs. People at higher risk of severe illness should discuss stricter precautions before travel.

Prevent bites during the day and at night

Different mosquitoes bite at different times. Use repellent as directed, cover exposed skin when practical and choose accommodation with screens, air conditioning or an intact bed net where relevant.

Apply sunscreen first and allow it to dry before repellent, following each product label. Reapply after swimming or heavy sweating as instructed. Inspect rooms and repair holes in nets rather than treating a net as automatic protection.

Know when to seek help

Severe dehydration, blood in diarrhoea, persistent fever, breathing difficulty, confusion or rapidly worsening illness need medical attention. Seek urgent advice for fever during or after travel to a malaria-risk area and always mention the travel history.

Keep insurance details, emergency contacts and a list of medicines accessible. If illness continues after returning to the UK, tell the clinician where and when you travelled, even if the trip was weeks earlier.

Turn general advice into daily habits

Food and water precautions work best when they are routine. Choose food that is freshly prepared and thoroughly cooked, be cautious with raw produce you cannot peel or clean safely, and use a reliable drinking-water source. Think about the water used for ice, brushing teeth, medicines and infant feeds as well as the glass you drink.

No checklist makes risk zero, and vaccination covers only particular infections. The aim is to reduce avoidable exposure while still recognising that standards and facilities vary between destinations.

• ✓ Clean hands before eating
• ✓ Check seals on bottled drinks
• ✓ Carry oral rehydration supplies
• ✓ Know when symptoms need medical help

Plan for mosquitoes that bite at different times

Some disease-carrying mosquitoes bite during daylight and others are more active from dusk to dawn, so protection should match the whole day. Use a destination-appropriate repellent as directed, cover skin where practical and check whether accommodation has screens, nets or air conditioning.

Malaria tablets, when advised, do not prevent every mosquito-borne infection and do not provide complete malaria protection. Bite avoidance remains a separate layer, and the correct medicine depends on the route and the traveller.

Make a plan for illness rather than improvising abroad

Before travel, identify how to contact your insurer and where you would seek care. Persistent vomiting, inability to keep fluids down, blood in stools, severe dehydration, breathing difficulty, confusion or fever in a malaria-risk context need prompt professional assessment.

After returning, tell a healthcare professional where and when you travelled if you become unwell. The route can remain clinically relevant even when symptoms start after the holiday has ended.