Expert International Personal Injury Lawyers Investigating Illness Outbreak

A group of holidaymakers have contacted expert personal injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell after a luxury holiday in Mexico was ruined by illness, with some of those affected now being diagnosed with Cryptosporidium.

The Barraclough family, from Sheffield, booked a two-week holiday to the luxury Sandos Caracol Eco Resort l in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Just days into the holiday Sarah, 33, began suffering with diarrhoea and vomiting.

A few days later her husband Mark, 33, began suffering from similar symptoms and their children Alexander, 3, and Bryony, 7, also both fell ill.

All four members of the family are still experiencing symptoms since their return to the UK in June this year and have received treatment from their GP. Sarah continues to suffer symptoms and has been told by her GP that she may be suffering with post-infective irritable bowel syndrome.

Tests have confirmed both children were infected with Cryptosporidium, a microscopic parasite that causes the diarrheal disease cryptosporidiosis.

They have instructed expert international personal injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate what caused the illness that completely ruined their holiday, which was booked through Thomas Cook.

Irwin Mitchell currently represents 2 holidaymakers who fell ill at the same hotel in 2015 and the experts handling the case have also been contacted by a second family-of-four who spent two weeks at the Sandos Caracol in June 2016 who experienced similar problems as the Barracloughs.

Sarah and Mark told their legal team that they were concerned about the hygiene standards at the resort when they arrived. They said some of the food was served lukewarm and on occasions reused for meals throughout the day.

Sarah, a healthcare assistant, said she saw coatis (member of the racoon family) and wild birds land on tables and feed off plates. They also said water was leaking from a pipe in their room and that the pool at the hotel was dirty.

The families also said that other holidaymakers seemed to be suffering similar symptoms to their own.

Clare Pearson, an expert international personal injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing the families, said:

Expert Opinion

“The illness the Barracloughs suffered during their break in Mexico was very stressful for them and significantly impacted their enjoyment of the holiday.

“It is extremely concerning to hear that other holidaymakers may have been suffering the same problems and that the illness outbreak may have been more widespread than these two families. We know from experience that Cryptosporidium can cause a great deal of discomfort for victims and can lead to longer-term problems that people may never fully recover from.

“We have now begun our own investigations into the cause of the illness suffered during their holidays and we would urge anyone else who suffered gastric illness symptoms while staying at the Sandos Caracol to contact us to help with our investigations.” Clare Pearson - Legal Executive & Associate

Sarah said: “All four of us were really looking forward to what we thought was going to be an amazing holiday in Mexico. Our children were very excited about the prospect of swimming with dolphins but this was spoiled when I fell ill.

“The fact the kids also got ill just added insult to injury and we want to know what caused our illness. We have real concerns about the standards of the hotel in general, as well as the food hygiene practices in place there.

“I really feel our complaints during our two weeks there were not taken seriously and the whole experience ended up being a complete let down and not at all what we expected when we booked the holiday with Thomas Cook.

“We are still not 100 per cent and simply wish we’d never gone on this holiday as it was a complete nightmare and we’d never knowingly put the health of our children at risk. We want to know what caused our illness and are seeking answers from Thomas Cook.”