114 CultureShock! Boliviapeoples’ disease due to unsanitary living conditions. Although
tap water in most major Bolivian cities is treated, boiling all
drinking water for fi ve minutes is recommended even when
no cholera is reported. Bottled water is an alternative.
If cholera reports emerge during your stay, drink bottled
water, eat only cooked vegetables and avoid any fi sh that
might have come from affected
regions. Avoid the uncooked
cebiche (raw fish with diced
onion and herbs cooked in
lemon), and follow standard
sanitary procedures you learned
in elementary school.
A more exotic poverty disease,
contracted by an alarming number of Bolivians, is chagas.
The disease is caused by a parasite residing in the vinchuca
beetle, in the lowlands and valleys but not found in the
highlands. Chagas is fatal, although curable if caught early.
Taking years to gestate, it affects blood vessels and other
organs. The vinchucas live in thatched roofi ng and the cracksAlso beware of empty restaurants
and snack bars. When you see
lots of clients, you can guess
that food is not being cooled and
reheated. Snack food shouldn’t
be languishing under the sun
before it is eaten.