I'm forever amused how Americans think the rest of the world is a filthy, disease-ridden place not up to the fine standards of the US.

Let's ponder for a moment todays headlines:

34 Tons of Contaminated Spinach from California
Flesh-Eating Bacteria attacks girl
In Maryland E.Coli contaminates wells...
In Lousiana, schoolyards are contaminated with Arsenic.
In Cedar Fall Iowa, Staph infections are rampant... while in Albany New York, a drug-resistant strain of Staph is out there. Finally, you'll find West Nile Virus basically everywhere in the USA now.

There's plenty to be scared of if you want to be scared. If you want to see the world, it's a great thing to do. The rest of the world is bigger, better and more fun than you'd imagine.