Giardia

[Former Admin]

Giardia - comments, concerns, issues, experiences

[Hammock Hanger]

I know that I will get slammed for this but, IMHO, giardia is way overblown. I have been "free" drinking the water for years now. In the past 2 summers of 1800 miles on the trail I may have put iodine in my water a total of 3 times. (Once when my water was down from a cow field, twice when my water was straight from a beaver pond.) I had so many hikers warn me of the dangers, like I wasn't aware. I figured it was my gamble, 50/50.

I think I would have preferred a case of Giardia to West Nile & Lyme.

Hammock Hanger

[EarlyRiser]

a friend of mine has had giardia twice while on the trail, once was minor durring his thru hike so he stoped in a town and got treated and didnt even have to really slow down much. the second time he had it he had it bad and i believe it took him off the trail. im not sure wheter he wasnt treating his water or what, but i know he got it one time from swimming in a stream that had contaminated water. i think im quite happy without getting it which is why i treat my water, i know its still possible to contract it but ill atleast try to minimize my chances.

[SGT Rock]

Here is a great article dealing with that:
Giardia Lamblia and Giardiasis
With Particular Attention to the Sierra Nevada
By Robert L. Rockwell, PhD

[highway]

HH: “… giardia is way overblown. I have been "free" drinking the water for years now”

I also think its way overblown. I also think that any time someone comes down with the "trots" it is immediately attributed with certainty to giardia, when more likely it was just be a mild case of food poisoning or caused by lack of hygiene from unclean hands.

I think it has always been here and that our forebears became immune because all their water was non-treated. I also think we are not immune because all our water is treated, so we have not built up the immunity. We discuss ways to "treat" our water, a luxury our ancestors gave little thought to. Some people, like HH, have built up their immunity.

I think that many of us, by our lack of immunity, develop "Montezuma’s revenge" when we drink from non or barely treated taps in countries to our south, but I ask you to consider, do those countries’ residents as well get it with every sip?

Please, lets exclude choleric outbreaks from fecal matter in drinking water in areas with large groups of people and little sanitation at all. This is in no way similar to the water we may drink from water sources in our mountainous areas.

I also ask you to not believe everything you read, just because it’s in print, a condition most of us succumb to.

Of course, this is just my opinion. But I base it upon my personal observation and experience.

[Peaks]

Highway writed: "I also think its way overblown. I also think that any time someone comes down with the "trots" it is immediately attributed with certainty to giardia, when more likely it was just be a mild case of food poisoning or caused by lack of hygiene from unclean hands."

I concur. Look at the general lack of hygiene on the trail. Unfortunately, no one has done a study to figure out why so many have the trots or other illness along the trail.