In 2004 I visited the Dominican Republic, a popular Caribbean destination for Canadians attempting to escape the winter cold, wet and grey. Dani and I took advantage of her spring break and Millennium Scholarship (probably not what they were meant for) and spent a week sitting on the beach, eating buffets and playing scrabble. It was pretty fun. My food paranoia was focused on ice cubes, foods held at the wrong temperature and fresh fruits and vegetables. I don’t think I ate anything that wasn’t fried and stuck to beer all week. Dani wasn’t nearly as ridiculous as I was (she rarely is) and she tried lots of stuff.
The week was a success; not only did we get some Vitamin D, neither of us had any foodborne illness symptoms.
According to Express and Star, Tracey Middleton was not as lucky as we were. In 2011 she visited the Casa Marina Reef Resort in the Dominican Republic with her husband, Keirnan and was felled with salmonellosis.
But on her return home, she was admitted to Staffordshire Hospital for four days after becoming severely dehydrated due to sickness and diarrhoea and she was diagnosed with salmonella, which has left her with on-going symptoms.
The couple instructed lawyers to investigate the cause of Tracy’s illness and they have secured a five-figure settlement for Tracy to cover the pain and suffering caused by her illness on the Thomas Cook holiday.
Mrs Middleton, aged 50, said: “Kieran and I were shocked at the conditions at the hotel, as we expected them to be of a high standard as it was supposed to be a luxury resort. We noticed that on occasions that food was being left uncovered for prolonged periods of time and some food was reheated and served with fresh food. We sometimes found the restaurant cutlery to be dirty and we noticed on occasions that some of the food served was undercooked. On occasions we also saw birds in the restaurant area.
“This nightmare has put me off travelling to the Dominican Republic again. I feel as though I’m more cautious about what I eat and what I do now. The illness and health problems have had a significant impact on my life.
Nearly three years on from the holiday, she still experiences painful stomach cramps and muscle pains on her sides. Her stomach swells from time to time especially after she has eaten and she now has to avoid foods such as bread, pasta and wine.
A Thomas Cook spokeswoman said: “Thomas Cook is sorry that Mrs Middleton fell ill while on holiday in the Dominican Republic in October 2011. We have extended our apologies to the party, while reaching an agreement with their legal representatives.
“We would like to assure customers that incidents of this type are rare, as Thomas Cook closely audits all the properties to which it operates to ensure that only the very highest hygiene standards are maintained.
Audits and inspections are never enough. Evaluating the tools that the resort provides to staff, or how they evaluate their suppliers is just the beginning – evaluating whether the behaviors to adhere to standards is more important.