Holiday Illness Jamaica

An Argentinean holiday maker has died after an apparent case of food poisoning has led travel law experts Irwin Mitchell to air their concerns.

The holiday maker and ten other tourists fell ill and were rushed to a Kingston hospital, although the Argentinean was pronounced dead on arrival.

Health ministry workers are now examining samples of the meal, thought to be fish and potato salad.

Clive Garner, Head of the law firm's International Travel Litigation team said it was vital that authorities work quickly and thoroughly to discover what was behind the problems.

He explained: "While it has not yet been confirmed if it was food poisoning, from what we know at the moment, this is the most likely cause of the illnesses.

"If food contamination is the cause serious questions will have to be asked about the prevailing quality of hygiene standards and the foodstuffs used.

"Sadly we do see fatalities caused by food poisoning. While thankfully fatalities are rare, each case is tragic and they have a terrible effect on the friends and family of the deceased.

"We deal with many more cases of food poisoning every year when people are very seriously ill and left with long-term health problems.

"I hope that, whatever the outcome of investigations in Jamaica, lessons are learnt from this tragic incident to ensure others do not suffer in a similar manner in the future."