Nepal Travel Answers

The most accurate and safest way is to use steripens. They are small travel sized pen like objects which emit ultra violet rays which purify the water killing off all bacteria, germs and viruses. These don't come cheap however and can run upwards of USD70-125.00. If you're using very dirty, muddy water you will still need to pre-filter the water, as in obtaining it from a standing water source or lake. http://www.steripen.com/ Hope this helps, Homer

Boiling water for about three minutes (at sea level) and then running the water through an activated charcoal filter is "best", but not necessarily the most practical. Above sea level, a pressure cooker to boil the water raises the temperature sufficiently to kill the pathogens. The charcoal removes pollutants. The UV method mentioned previously can be part of the treatment, but is not 100% effective on a lot of pathogens, does rely on an external power source and does not remove other contaminants. Chemical (chlorine tablets or iodine) action is dependent on water temperature and length of time that the chemical is in contact with the water. It leaves a nasty taste to the water and is not 100% effective. A camping microfilter (pumped or gravity fed) is probably the best for trekking. Any good camping supply store will have them; but they are not cheap.

According to reviews by trusted sources such as backpackers.com, backcountry/camping.com, adventuretravel, mountainproject, travelinsdier info, etc. the steripe is not only effective but being lightweight, portable is a preferred option to carrying heavier pumps, filters, etc. when out and about. External power source comes from a either 4 AA batteries or Lithium battery. Also, it cuts down on the chemical ingestion and after taste in the water. The above have all rated it 5 stars. Lonelyplanet.com , trailspace.com both recommend it. According to new medical research: >Another concern with UV portable water purification is that some pathogens are hundreds of times less sensitive to UV light than others. Protozoan cysts were once believed to be among the least sensitive, however recent studies have proved otherwise, demonstrating that both Cryptosporidium and Giardia are deactivated by a UV dose of just 6 mJ/cm sq.[13] However, EPA regulations and other studies show that it is viruses that are the limiting factor of UV treatment, requiring a 10-30 times greater dose of UV light than Giardia or Cryptosporidium [14] .[15] Furthermore, studies have shown that UV doses at the levels provided by common portable UV units are effective at killing Giardia [16] and that there was no evidence of repair and reactivation of the cysts.[17] Fortunately, Giardia are among the easiest pathogens to filter out of water. A viable two-step portable water purification approach, providing greater protection than UV purification alone, is to first filter suspect water, thereby removing the larger pathogens, prior to using UV purification.

I used a battery-run steripen in different parts of Asia, without filtering, and didn't contract anything that I'm aware of. You need to use it with an opaque bottle that holds only the amount the steripen can do at once. Mine only did a liter at a time, so the bottle had to be just 1 liter. If you're really worried, there will be bottled water available pretty much everywhere, but it's good to not add to the trash en route.

For an upcoming trip to Europe I am using a Brita re-usable water bottle with built in Brita filter - good for 1500 refills. Although Europe is overall safe, I don't want to take chances. I hit our water with the UV for the minute or so required. Like you, I've never had any trouble when traveling through Asia, including Cambodia, Thailand and Bali.

I'm getting some expert advice on this in a couple of hours and will get back with the latest and greatest, according to the travel medicine people. I see the travel medicine doctor I have been going to for years this morning regarding next month's 3-week trip to Namibia. As well as the usual updating my shots, pills, etc. I always get advice on dealing with health-related local conditions. The doctor I see spends about a month each year in Southern Africa working at an AIDS clinic, so he knows the area quite well. I will be spending most of my time in the middle of nowhere camping, so water quality is certainly one of my top concerns. I will be driving a 4x4 so recharging batteries, carrying purification equipment and boiling water will not be an issue. I will certainly ask about UV sterilization, as this is not something that I have looked at for past trips.

Thank you Manfred, I would certainly like to hear what the doctor has to say. We travel quite frequently and, although Europe (and even most of Asia) probably works out for the pen, I'd be interested in knowing what your doctor has to say about African countries. Whenever possible, we like to err on the side of caution as it only takes one minute infraction to ruin a perfectly good holiday. Homer

Will do. Heading out in about 5 minutes.

I backpack a lot and I either use a hand held water pump that filters the water (I use a Katadyn) or Aquamira (clorine dioxide) which is a chemical treatment that doesn't have the aftertaste like iodine or clorine. In a pinch you can use bleach but I wouldn't use it for too many days. All of these methods are effective against waterborne viruses.

Okay, just got back and it looks like Dr Birnbaum. now has a web site with the relevent information: www3.sympatico.ca/robertbirn... While he does not mention the Steripen, on his website, I did ask and yes, he recommends them as well, but with some caveats. He suggests agitating the container while the sterilization processes is happening. He cautions that any water on the outside of the container should be considered to be contaminated. As well, as with any technology, follow the instructions and change the batteries according to manufacturer's recommendations

Yes, that is what I was getting as well (as to the agitating of the water). I liked getting the Brita filter bottles as they are wide mouthed, I can insert the pen, are good for the equivalent of up to 1500 water bottles and, after running the pen through them, I can further diminish any impurities via the charcoal filter. Additional filters can be purchased as replacements. Thanks for info!

Thanks to everyone for all your information! Very much appreciated.