Got a phone call from my son's friend in the US yesterday afternoon when it must have been around 5 AM over there. His friend, a young American lady is visiting Mumbai and has developed severe diarrhoea and vomiting. An extremely common story for visitors coming to India especially during these months. As an Indian I feel humiliated that our guests should suffer so and that we are unable to provide clean food and water. So for foreigners and Indians born abroad a few words of advice. The best time to come to India is between October and March when the weather is pleasantly cool and there are no flies to spread bacteria. Once here water is most important. Most Indians have water purifying systems at home so this should be safe. While travelling one should drink only bottled water. Chlorine tablets called Aquapure are available at most chemists and will make water safe to drink in a few hours. All fruits except bananas should be washed thoroughly before eating. A common mistake is to think that fruits which can be peeled, such as mangoes, do not need to be washed. Wrong. Hands should be washed before eating as also all eating utensils. Food should be kept in a fridge whenever possible or at least covered so that flies cannot get at it. If eating out choose a restaurant which is busy which will mean that there is a quick turnover of food and nothing is lying around long enough to get infected. Eat only hot food. Salads and other cold preparations should be avoided unless washed personally. Ice creams should be had in a big restaurant with backup electric supply. Life grows abundantly in the tropics and bacteria are also living. These monsoon months of heat and high humidity are perfect for bacterial growth. I hope all visitors to India will enjoy there stay here without any necessity to see a doctor although top class medical care is cheapest in India than anywhere else. Just be sensible.