Gastrointestinal upsets are truly miserable, whether they're caused by shigellosis, food poisoning, or another virus.

One common cause is Shigellosis, a bacterial infection also known as "Montezuma's revenge" or "traveler's diarrhea."  It usually affects people visiting Third World destinations and is caused by drinking water that hasn't been properly purified. The symptoms are watery or bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and fatigue.

While it will eventually go away without treatment, most of the time doctors prescribe antibiotics to speed recovery. It's very important to note that in cases of shigellosis, anti-diarrheal medications should not be administered. They can actually lengthen the amount of time a person is ill. They slow down the expulsion of the bacteria from the intestines and can worsen the infection.  Because the severe diarrhea flushes out the bacteria, the illness is self-limiting.  Patients should be kept well-hydrated while the illness runs its course. (To learn more about waterborne illnesses, check out my book, The Prepper's Water Survival Guide.)

Some of the cases are related to foreign travel, but many have been tracked back to…well, poverty.  Homeless people, those living in shelters, rooms with shared baths, and children who attend daycare are among the populations most likely to become ill with shigellosis. As more and more people have difficulty affording the basics, we can expect more and more cases of illness like this. Consider impoverished areas like metro Detroit, where running water was cut off for many residents who couldn't afford to pay their bills. It's not a stretch of the imagination to predict that we're going to see an uptick in sanitation-related illnesses.