As someone who loves street food and eats about the place all the time, and who grew up hearing the “if it doesn’t kill, it’ll fatten” mantra, I’ve come to expect a little diarrhoea now and then as the price to pay for my fondness for street food. I know people who only eat food that they themselves have cooked and who are super vigilant about germs and cleanliness. Because I’m healthy overall and because I have access to running water and sanitation, I can afford to be cavalier about an occasional bout of diarrhoea. But for some people—particularly those with underlying health problems, compromised immune systems, the very young, or the elderly—diarrhoea can be life threatening.
According to the World Health Organization, there are over 2 million deaths from diarrhoeal diseases annually,
