Risk Factors Guide

Summer in India Program : NC State University

Compiled by Afroz Taj and John Caldwell

The guidelines are meant to help you make wise decisions while living in India. We want everyone to have a positive, healthy experience. If you get sick, even for a day, you will miss class and other required activities and your participation in the program will be impaired. If you miss more than three days of class, it will be very difficult to catch up. If you get sick with something chronic, you may end up going home early.

These guidelines are based on over ten years of conducting study abroad programs in India.

In the chart below:

• Items in the first column can be considered safe.
• Items in the second column are risky and must be used with caution.
• Items in the third column should be considered too dangerous for you while in India. If you disregard these guidelines and decide to experiment with forbidden items, you will be considered a danger to yourself and to the program, even if you do not get sick.

Category	Safe	Risky (use caution)	Dangerous (forbidden)
Water	Water you have filtered yourself with a certified purification method	Boiled water Iodine treated water	Bottled water Tap water Restaurant water Water in private homes Water in hotel or guest house coolers
Drinks	Brand carbonated beverages (but check the seal on the cap) Hot Tea (Chai) Hot Coffee	Brand juices and fruit drinks (Mazaa, Frooti)	Alcohol Anything with ice Fresh squeezed juice Lassi
Fruits	Fruits that can be easily peeled: Bananas, Lychees, Oranges, Melons	Fruits you have washed and peeled yourself: Mangos, Chikoos, Apples, Pineapples, Papayas	Grapes Fruit salads
Vegetables	Anything cooked well: Sabzi Daal	Raw vegetables that you have washed and peeled yourself: Tomatoes Onions	Salad Garnishes (e.g. cilantro) Indian Chinese dishes: Chow Mein, Fried Rice, Stir Fry (contain undercooked vegetables)
Dairy	Yoghurt Mother Dairy products Kheer (rice pudding)	Brand ice cream Paneer (watch out for undercooked paneer)	Lassi Soft serve ice cream Shakes Cheese (even on pizza)
Meat		Meat dishes cooked Indian style Kababs	Fish dishes (except in Goa) Western meat dishes: Hamburgers Meat pizzas
Condiments		Brand sauces (incl. Ketchup & Hot sauce) Jam & Jelly	All Chutneys (contain water)
Other		Sweets (Barfi, Gulab Jamun, Petha, etc.)	Chaat (street food) Paan (betel leaf) Bidi / Ganja / Bhang