Are there Cooties in the water?

One of the big fears when going to Mexico is "are there cooties in the water that will make me sick"?   We've all heard the horror stories of "Montezuma's Revenge" when drinking water in Mexico.  The "cooties" are things like bacteria, viruses, and parasites.  Water (and food) in less developed countries does tend to have more cooties than in the United States.  

You may ask why all the locals in Mexico are not always sick. The answer is two-fold:  

1) their bodies are acclimated to resist some of the cooties' effects

2) they know how to avoid the cooties through extensive experience  

The top tip is to avoid ingesting tap water.  This means don't drink it, don't brush your teeth with it, and don’t rinse your mouth in the shower, no ice cubes unless you made them with bottled water.  

The other is to thoroughly wash and cook all your foods.  For fruits and vegetables, thoroughly soak and wash with your favorite vegetable wash.  We personally like a mix of water (bottled water) and vinegar.   And, of course, always wash your hands before preparing food and eating. 

Note:  Some of the information in this blog post is from this link (article on Budget Travel website by Fran Golden) and it has more details: www.budgettravel.com/feature/how-not-to-get-montezumas-revenge,8923/  

And, for additional information visit The Center for Disease Control at:

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/mexico

Drink up!