Tag Archives: Sick Vacation

Salmonella and shigella: trying times for British tourists

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This isn’t a Chevy Chase-John Candy (right) kind of vacation.

The widow of an elderly British tourist who died after falling ill with salmonella poisoning at a luxury Italian hotel has called for better safety standards at holiday resorts.

The Birmingham Post reports that Jean Appleyard and her husband, Geoffrey, aged 71, were staying at the four-star Grand Hotel in the Gardone resort on the shores of Lake Garda last year when both began to suffer from fever and stomach pains.

An inquest at South Worcestershire Coroners’ Court yesterday recorded a verdict of misadventure after hearing evidence that the salmonella poisoning Mr Appleyard contracted contributed to his death.

Coroner Geraint Williams said:

“Although the hotel seemed very picturesque, there was a very dark side in the kitchen and cellars where there was a virulent contamination of salmonella in the foodstuffs. This was served to the guests and, as a consequence, a large number became ill. Mr Appleyard died because he was not able to withstand this infection.”

The Italian authorities confirmed that salmonella was detected at the hotel.

Mrs Appleyard said, 

“We went to the Grand Hotel for a luxury holiday. It is simply appalling that we fell ill and Geoffrey contracted something as serious as salmonella at a hotel like that. Tour operators have to ensure they are doing everything they possibly can to make sure holidaymakers are protected from outbreaks like this.”

Meanwhile, The Independent reports that 50-year-old Julian Hurley from South Yorkshire, U.K., said he was delighted today after being awarded nearly £300,000 compensation from tour operator First Choice following his diagnosis of shigella after eating "poor-standard" food at an all-inclusive hotel in Venezuela in August 2004.

Mr Hurley said.

"When we went to the hotel restaurant I tried a variety of different dishes, which included cooked meats. The food was of an extremely poor standard, a lot of the dishes were undercooked and some of them were almost cold. The impact that this hellish holiday has had on our lives has been devastating. I now struggle to walk long distances and find myself getting tired easily. I am still suffering from symptoms to this day and will do for the rest of my life, which has been very difficult to come to terms with.”

 

Sickened vacationers sue hotel

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It was reading week (the Canadian equivalent to spring break) a few weeks ago, and through my Facebook creeping I saw that many of my friends traveled south for vacation. Nothing quite evaporates the stress of midterm exams like tanning and over-consuming alcohol.   

Unfortunately for dozens of vacationers at a Cape Verde island resort, fun in the sun was accompanied with stomach cramps and diarrhea, reports the Yorkshire Evening Post.

A group of 40 sunseekers want compensation after a stay at the Riu Garopa and Riu Funana hotels on the Cape Verde islands, off the west African coast, left them seriously ill. A further 70 people who were also affected have sought legal advice. Solicitors at Irwin Mitchell say calls are still coming in and they expect the number of complaints to hit 200.

Some guests who were there between August and October last year claim food at the hotels was undercooked, uneaten meals were re-served, and food was often left uncovered and unprotected from insects.

One of the sick vacationers, Barry Taylor, who stayed at the Riu Garopa in September with his wife, said,

"I’ve never experienced illness like this before. It was horrendous. It ruined our holiday and we’re still suffering from some of the symptoms today, more than four months after the trip.”

He continued,

"The standards at the Garopa were disgraceful. There was a smell of sewage hanging around the place and there were huge cockroaches everywhere – in the dining room, the bedrooms, down the corridors. My wife managed to get into the town to get medication that a doctor prescribed but because there was so many people ill they had run out."

The cause of illness is believed to be Shigella, often contracted through consumption of contaminated food or water. Fecally contaminated water and unsanitary handling by food handlers are the most common causes of contamination with Shigella. In the past salads (potato, tuna, macaroni), raw vegetables, dairy products and poultry have been implicated as vectors for illness.