Personal Injury Solicitors

More than 100 British tourists have fallen ill with holiday food poisoning at a popular Red Sea resort in Egypt.

The Daily Record reports that the holidaymakers are staying at the Coral Sea Waterworld resort in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt – 100 are being treated with rehydration therapy and have been placed on intravenous drips.

The resort has drafted in additional medical staff – including doctors – to help cope with the outbreak of holiday sickness and diarrhoea.

It is reported that staff at the resort have been given hand sanitisers and latex gloves to try and stop the bug spreading further among guests at the Sharm El- Sheikh resort.

Holidaymakers have taken to social media to complain about poor hygiene at the Coral Sea Waterworld resort, including dirty food containers and serving utensils on the hotel buffet – as well as dirty tables.

The infection has been diagnosed as Shigella – a particularly virulent bacterial infection similar to Salmonella.

Shigella symptoms include headache and fever, followed by stomach cramps and episodes of vomiting and profuse watery diarrhoea. If left untreated, dehydration can soon occur, requiring rehydration therapy.

There are four different species of Shigella bacteria which cause Shigellosis symptoms and infection is usually transmitted via the faecal-oral route – including drinking or ingesting water contaminated with human faeces or touching surfaces contaminated with faeces, which can happen if people do not wash their hands after using the lavatory.

The symptoms of Shigellosis can take between 12 hours and four days to appear – holidaymakers affected are confined to their rooms and families are having to take it in turns to use the lavatories in their hotel rooms.

It is reported many of the holidaymakers are considering or taking legal action against their tour operator as a result of the Shigella infection, which is a preventable infection if food is cooked and prepared correctly, drinking water and swimming pool water are kept clean – and a high standard of general hygiene at a holiday hotel is implemented.

Tour operator First Choice has confirmed “a small number of cases of sickness and diarrhoea” at the Coral Sea Waterworld resort. A spokeswoman said that holidaymakers who had fallen ill at the resort were being given “appropriate” assistance and support from First Choice’s overseas Holiday Advisors.

The 4-star Coral Sea Waterworld resort also hit the headlines in May 2013, after a five-year-old British girl drowned at the resort in a holiday accident. The resort is currently being investigated over the death of Chloe Johnson from London.

Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors – Holiday Accidents & Illness Claims

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of personal injury solicitors and can advise holidaymakers on making no win no fee claims for Holiday Accidents & Illness – including claims for Egypt holiday food poisoning.

Under the Package Travel Regulations 1992, holidaymakers who book package holidays have three years in which to make a no win no fee compensation claim if they become ill on a package holiday as a result of poor food preparation –
or lapses in hygiene and cleanliness at their hotel or holiday accommodation.

Children have three years after the age of 18 in which to make a claim for Holiday Accidents & Illness.

For expert legal advice on no win no fee claims for holiday food poisoning – including Egypt holiday stomach bugs – contact Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors on 020 7923 4020.