Man Struck Down Celebrating His Birthday In Sharm El Sheikh

A Leicestershire man has instructed lawyers to investigate after suffering severe gastric illness during a stay at a five-star hotel in Egypt.

Malcolm Clarke, 62, from Wigston, Leicestershire, travelled to the Rixos hotel in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in August 2022, to celebrate his birthday with his wife. The week-long trip was booked through tour operator TUI.

Two days into the holiday, Malcolm fell ill with severe gastric symptoms, including diarrhoea and vomiting, that was so bad he was forced to take a week off work as a builder on his return to the UK.

The father of two has now instructed expert international serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate his illness.

Expert Opinion

“Malcolm was looking forward to what was intended to be a special holiday to mark his birthday but he was ill for several weeks.

“Malcolm is still eating a bland diet and following medical treatment has been advised by doctors to avoid dairy products as he continues his recovery. Understandably he’s upset by what’s happened and has many questions over how he developed the illness.

“As Malcolm has discovered, gastric symptoms can be unpleasant and longer-lasting than many realise. Their impact should never be underestimated.

“We’ve already heard from other holidaymakers who suffered symptoms having stayed at the Rixos hotel and Malcom was also aware of others falling ill while he was staying there.

“We’re now investigating the experience of Malcolm and others. If issues are identified it’s vital that lessons are learned to prevent holidaymakers from falling ill in the future." Jennifer Hodgson, Associate Solicitor

Malcolm arrived at the Rixos Hotel in Sharm El Sheikh on 31 August, 2022, and departed on 7 September. After dinner on 2 September, Malcolm felt bloated and returned to his room, with his symptoms starting in the early hours of 3 September.

From 3am Malcolm was suffering from severe diarrhoea, followed by sickness at the same time. He found he was running a fever, his blood pressure was high and he felt delirious. The hotel had an onsite clinic, which Malcolm attended on 3 September 2022, where he was put on a drip and given antibiotics. He returned the next day for further Spasmofen anti-sickness injections and again on 7 September 2022, when he was given additional injections and different medication.

Malcolm continued to feel ill on his return to the UK and consulted his GP, who advised he was suffering from food poisoning but that antibiotics would mask what type. He was given Buscopan but symptoms persisted until mid-September when he felt he had to return to work.

Malcolm’s symptoms have slowly improved but he continues to suffer intermittent abdominal pains.

Malcolm said: “I’d been looking forward to this holiday for some time and choosing a five-star hotel for my birthday seemed a great way to celebrate and ensure we all had a good time. I couldn’t believe it when I fell ill after just a few days.

“I’ve never felt so sick. I was delirious in the end and really didn’t know where I was at. The holiday became secondary at that point, as with being so ill all I wanted to do was get home. Even then, the symptoms continued for another week and I needed the new medication from my GP before I could even attempt to return to work.

“I was still getting severe pain for weeks afterwards. Being a builder, getting quickly to a bathroom on site isn’t always possible and really makes you think about where you can and can’t work.

“I had a number of complaints with the food. Hot food in the hotel restaurant was often moved from under the heat lamps to back again, going hot and cold repeatedly. I was so concerned by this, I met with the hotel management and chef about the reheating. I heard of other people who fell ill at the hotel, which makes me glad I reported it now, but I am not sure if what I said was taken on-board. I feel I owe it to myself and others under the circumstances to get at the truth.

“Nothing can change things now but I feel I deserve to know more about how I fell so ill and what if anything is being done to make sure other people don’t have to go through what I did.”

Find out more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in handling holiday illness cases