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Woman's grim Bali warning to travellers: 'People don't tell you'

It comes amid a spike in sickness for Aussie travellers.

A holidaymaker in Bali has issued a warning to other travellers to take 'Bali belly' seriously after she was struck down with the illness.

“So from my experience of having Bali belly, there’s a lot people don’t tell you about having it,” Irish tourist Tammy Whelan said in a widely-shared TikTok earlier this month.

Ms Whelan, who documents her travels via her account, said she now "has trauma" from the sickness.

'Bali belly', also known as traveller's diarrhoea, is often caused by bacteria found in food and water and can also be caused by viruses like Rotavirus or Norovirus, which then bring on gastro.

Cases are rising at the same time a surge in gastroenteritis cases in NSW hospitals is being reported.

Taveller Tammy Whelan has warned other holidaymakers about how traumatic Bali Belly is. Source: TikTok/ tammywhelan8
Taveller Tammy Whelan has warned other holidaymakers about how traumatic Bali Belly is. Source: TikTok/ tammywhelan8

Ms Whelan explained you cannot go further than four metres from a toilet as you will be "severely excreting from your mouth and ass all at the same time".

“The thought of food will make you physically sick (and) you’re going to be severely dehydrated and in turn you’re going to hallucinate.”

Aussies warned about Bali belly

Earlier this month Sydney resident Michael told Yahoo News Australia of a similar experience during a trip to Bali.

“I felt like my organs were coming out of me. It was the weakest I’ve ever felt,” he said.

The problem then lingered when he returned to Australia, saying it took “weeks to come right”.

And while Ms Whelan is warning other travellers to be careful, she says it can happen to anyone. With Australians once again travelling the world after Covid-19 restrictions, there has been a spike in sickness.

Chair of Travel Medicine and Executive Dean at at Bond University Nicholas Zwar told Yahoo travellers should avoid foods such as raw seafood that have been sat out while ice in drinks can be a source of germs.

He said those unfortunate enough to get Bali belly sould focus on hydrating themselves "especially if it's a child" and use a medication called Imodium which helps "slow down the frequency of bowel actions".

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