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The Countries Where You Can & Can’t Drink The Water

SharonKurheg
a glass of water being poured into a glass

My husband and I don’t make a secret of the fact that we live in Central FL. With that, people have mentioned to us several times that the water at Disney World tastes nasty (yes, we know) and therefore, is it safe to drink?

Why water is different in different places

Water in the U.S. tastes different depending on where you are, based on the local minerals that get deposited into the water. But tasting better or worse and potentially making you sick are 2 entirely different things.

If you ever go to Mexico, chances are you’ll be told, “Don’t drink the water! You’ll get Montezuma’s Revenge!”

Caution: traveler’s diarrhea

Of course, Montezuma’s Revenge is the unofficial name for a type of diarrhea travelers get when traveling south of the U.S. border. It occurs when travelers drink tap water or eat food containing a microorganism to which locals are immune.

Traveler’s diarrhea isn’t limited to Mexico, though. As per WedMD,

Areas where there is the highest risk of contracting traveler’s diarrhea include the developing countries of Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The risk of infection varies depending on the type of exposure — from a fairly low risk from eating hot, cooked foods and drinking factory-sealed beverages to a higher risk from eating raw vegetables and fruits and drinking tap water.

The CDC’s list

The main goal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is, of course, to keep Americans safe and healthy, both at home and abroad. To that end, they maintain a list of every country in terms of:

However, if you look at the “Stay Healthy & Safe” section of each country, you’ll notice that the CDC includes recommendations on whether or not to drink:

If it’s safe to drink the water

If the water is safe to drink, the CDC will generally say:

Food and water standards in [name of country in question] are similar to those in the United States. Most travelers do not need to take special food or water precautions beyond what they normally do at home. However, travelers visiting rural or remote areas that are served by unregulated water sources such as private wells should take special precautions to ensure the safety of their drinking water.

These are the countries that the CDC says are usually safe to drink the water:

Of course, be alert and double-check anywhere you go. For example, although the water in Flint, MI, is said to be OK now, it didn’t used to be (and some people are still hesitant to drink it). As the good blog says, Your Mileage May Vary.

If it’s not safe to drink the water

If the water is not safe to drink, the CDC will generally say:

Unclean food and water can cause travelers’ diarrhea and other diseases. Reduce your risk by sticking to safe food and water habits.

These are the countries that the CDC says are generally NOT safe to drink tap or well water, to use ice made with tap or well water, or to drinks made with tap or well water:

Traveling can be awesome. But coming down with Traveler’s Diarrhea? Not so much. Stay vigilant and be careful out there.

Feature Image: PXHere

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