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Water in Tunisia

Posted by (Mercer Island) on

Help! I'm off to Tunisia in a few days and worried about the water. Should I use iodine tablets? I can't see lugging a water purifier with me everywhere and besides I'm a food writer. I have to eat in restaurants. Can anybody help me? I do tend to get the nasty stuff when I'm in Africa or the Middle East. I'd like to prevent it this time.

Please give me one less thing to be neurotic about. What's a simple solution? I'm happy to use the iodine tablets but do they really work? If so, how do I use them?

Posted by
805 posts

Different people react differently. I had no problems with water in France, the UK or Mexico but needed to drink bottled water in Italy lest I become sick (even in Venice). Remember that, as Rick says, its not that the water is dirty but that the bacteria are different than we are used to and that different people react differently to it.

Posted by
6 posts

Thanks for the advice, David. I have to say I do not have a good record in the Third World, and on other forums people say not to drink the water in Tunisia. Alas. I myself have never had trouble in Italy, but I feel your pain.

Posted by
3580 posts

The small backpackers' water purifier would be one solution. I don't think the iodine tablets kill things like amoebas. Probably the easiest solution is to drink bottled water or beer there and just make sure it is still sealed when you get it. Soft drinks in sealed containers should be ok, too.

Posted by
6 posts

Thanks for the advice about the iodine. I was hoping not to go that route. Any advice about restaurants? There the water is in glasses which may or may not be sterile and inevitably they put ice in it.

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