Don't get bugged on your travels

On a return trip from Belize earlier this year, I brought back an unusual souvenir. It got under my skin, literally. It was a botfly, and it actually was a stowaway who entered me and the country uninvited.

Here's what happened. An insect, about the size of a housefly, laid its eggs on the belly of a mosquito. The mosquito made me her dinner. The egg entered my wrist through the bite site and hatched into a fuzzy, not-so-cute larva. The little bugger continued to grow until there was a welt shaped like a volcano, two inches high, rising out of my arm. Periodically, he would raise his ugly head so I actually could see my unwanted houseguest.

The alien was also abusive. When he decided to take strolls, he sunk little hooks inside my arm to keep his balance. It was painfully unnerving in more ways than one.

Doctors told me I had a choice. I could either let the bug run its course and in 10 days he would emerge as a full-fledged fly; or I could suffocate him by filling a bottle cap with Vaseline and taping it over his breathing hole. He got the death sentence, and I got grossed out.

I'm not the only one who has picked up unwanted company while traveling in foreign countries. When Mark Bursiek visited the rainforests of Brazil, the humidity got to him and he traded in his long pants for hiking shorts while trekking through the deep forests. A passing parasite got a leg up on him. Bursiek was left with Leishmaniasis, a skin lesion caused by a protozoan that is also transmitted by a small biting fly. Leishmaniasis, like the botfly, is not fatal but quite painful.

When Judy Hauer traveled through India, she accepted the advice to not drink the water. But she used the tap water to brush her teeth. After a few days, it wasn't her yellow teeth that colored her outlook; it was her green complexion. Hauer spent the better part of her vacation sipping weak tea and wishing she were home.

According to travel agent Judy Barr, tourists pay attention to the fatal diseases. When the government suggests medication for malaria, yellow fever or hepatitis, travelers will be quite religious about receiving the necessary inoculations and taking the medications. But other medical considerations are often ignored. Some of these threaten to destroy your vacation, if not your health.

Here are some things to consider: Avoid certain insects. In areas where insects and parasites are present, protect yourself. Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants and use a mosquito repellent that is at least 30 percent DEET. The clothing company ExOfficio sells clothing that repels insects and remains effective through 70 washings. If you're not familiar with a local lake or stream, stay out of it. Certain parasites, such as schistosomiasis, could be present and attack your vital organs.

Avoid certain beverages. Local drinking water may be fine for the local population, but because it might contain certain bacteria your body isn't used to, it could make you sick. Remember, vegetables washed in that water and ice cubes made from that water are also suspect. Limit your liquid intake to bottled or boiled beverages.

Avoid certain foods. Foods sold by street vendors may taste good going down but not so good coming back up. Avoid foods that may have been sitting at room temperatures for long periods of time. Be wary of foods containing milk. Not all milk products are pasteurized.

Before you travel, be aware of your new environment and arm yourself with the necessary information so you aren't taken in by some "fly-by-night" or other parasite.

• Gail Todd, a freelance writer, worked as a flight attendant for more than 30 years. She can be reached at gailtodd@aol.com.