Bali Belly is the name given to a condition often experienced by people when visiting or returning from Bali. What exactly is Bali Belly?
The term Bali Belly is used to describe the symptoms of food poisoning, which are sometimes experienced by tourists visiting Bali. Diarrhoea is one of the main symptoms for people who experience Bali Belly.
There are also other terms for this disease, such as Delhi Belly or Montezuma’s Revenge. The term tends to be localised to a tourist destination and either rhymed or alliterated.
An Indonesian actor, Verrell Bramasta, was hospitalised with an IV drip recently. In his statement, Bramasta stated that he had Bali Belly while on vacation in Bali.
It is still unknown what triggered Bramasta’s Bali Belly. Cases tend to be often correlated with eating certain contaminated foods.
Everyone wants a comfortable vacation, without having to go back and forth to the bathroom because of Bali Belly. It often strikes in the first week of vacation, when the body is adjusting to a new environment with new foods and different bacteria.
An Irish tourist named Tammy Whellan also shared his experience with Bali Belly after travelling to Bali for three days. Through his video on TikTok, Whellan notes the symptoms he is experiencing.
@tammywhelan8 Bali belly is no joke whatsoever 😭😭 #balibelly #bali #travellife #southeastasia ♬ original sound – Tammy’s travels 🌎🌈☀️
“You can’t go far more than four metres from the toilet and I mean you’re going to have poop out of your mouth and your butt at the same time,” Whellan said.
“Thinking about food will make you physically ill and you will become severely dehydrated. And in turn, you will hallucinate,” he continued.
Although the symptoms may disappear in a few days, very serious cases can result in severe dehydration requiring hospitalisation.
The bacteria that cause Bali Belly can be transmitted between humans, so if you are travelling with someone who is sick, make sure to wash your hands regularly and avoid sharing food or drinks.
Currently, there is no specific medicine for this disease or a vaccine that has been proven to prevent it completely because it can be caused by several different things. However, quoted from WebMD, the ‘BRAT’ diet is a common way to recover from diarrhoea or Bali Belly:
- Banana
- Rice
- Applesauce
- Toast