Woman Hospitalised With Salmonella And Who Started Losing Her Hair Among Group Wanting Answers

A growing group of British tourists have instructed lawyers to investigate after they were struck down with gastric illness while staying at a four-star resort in Greece.

A group of people have contacted specialist international serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell after holidaying at the Mitsis Family Beach Hotel in Kos, in the summer of 2023.

They include a family from Burntwood, Staffordshire, and a couple from Nottingham, who went on holiday to celebrate their engagement. One of the couple was admitted to hospital upon her return to the UK and diagnosed with salmonella, a serious bacterial infection often caused by contaminated food. She has started losing her hair through the stress of her illness. The two parties booked their holidays via tour operator Love Holidays.

A further group of six people who travelled via tour operator Easy Jet also reported falling ill at the same resort, with varying levels of gastric illness. They have also asked Irwin Mitchell to investigate.

Expert Opinion

“All our clients were very much looking forward to their holidays. However, they were ruined when they were struck down by serious gastric illness, including Salmonella.

“The effects of such serious illnesses should never be downplayed as they can have serious long-term health implication for those affected.

“Understandably, our clients have many questions on how they fell ill. We’re now investigating further to secure them the answers they deserve.

“If any issues are identified during this process, it’s vital lessons are learned to ensure other holidaymakers don’t suffer a similar experience.

“From conversations with both groups, it appears other hotel guests may also have fallen ill at the same time and we would be keen to hear from anyone else who stayed at the hotel in question as our investigations continue.” James Blower

Maskew Family, Burntwood, Staffordshire

Five members of the Maskew family from Burntwood, Staffordshire, travelled to the Mitsis Family Beach Hotel in Kos, Greece in May 2023. The family included husband and wife Lewis, and Charlotte Maskew, both aged 31, four-year-old daughter, Imogen, and one-year-old twin girls, Ada and Esme.

Having arrived at the resort on 10 May, the family ate in the beach bar restaurant on 14 May, where Lewis, a maintenance technician, Charlotte, a nurse, and Imogen all had pork wraps. All started to be ill the next day, with diarrhoea, vomiting and high temperatures and fever.

All struggled to keep fluids down and contacted the hotel for a doctor on 16 May, who did not arrive until 19 May. The family were required to pay the doctor 100 Euros, who said they had a stomach bug that should pass in 24 hours and provided rehydration tablets.

The trio continued to be unwell for the rest of the holiday and after their return to the UK on 24 May. Lewis began to suffer from severe haemorrhoids and Imogen’s bowel movements were not the same for a month after their return.

Lewis said: “We’d not been able to go abroad for a while following the birth of the twins, so this holiday was a treat for the family and for a belated celebration for our 30^th birthdays. We even pushed the boat out this time and went four star all-inclusive.

“Our first impressions of the hotel weren’t great. The room wasn’t ready when we arrived and it was impossible to ignore the flies that surrounded the main restaurant dining area.

“After eating on 14 May, Charlotte, Imogen and myself began to fall ill one after the other. I have never felt so ill and it was hard to do anything to support your children when you’re sick yourself. Despite requesting a doctor, it was days before we were seen and medication had little effect.

“The holiday was ruined and the only consolation is that the twins were thankfully unaffected. The three of us were still ill afterwards. I’m still far from well and Charlotte’s hair started to fall out, we think, due to the stress of it all. Imogen still wasn’t right after a month.

“This holiday was supposed to be the highlight of our year that turned into an absolute nightmare.

“We know other guests were ill as we were and feel the least we deserve are answers and an explanation. You don’t expect to pay for a four-star hotel and have this happen to you.”

Jessica Brecknock and Partner, Cotgrave, Nottingham

Jessica Brecknock, 35, an operation administrator from Cotgrave, Nottingham, travelled to the Mitsis Family Beach on 10 May for a week-long holiday, due to finish on 17 May, booked via Love Holidays.

Jessica and her partner were there for a first holiday without their four children, as Sam was planning to ask Jessica to marry him. Sam asked Jessica to marry him the night before she fell ill. The next day Jessica was so ill, she was unable to celebrate the occasion.

 Jessica woke up on 15 May feeling sick. She said this developed into severe sickness and diarrhoea, that was so bad, she was confined to her room for the rest of the holiday.

Jessica made her flight home, but her symptoms became worse, including feeling tired and breathless and on 18 May, she attended A&E.

Following examination, Jessica was admitted and spent the next nine days in hospital in isolation. Tests confirmed a diagnosis of salmonella. Following this, Jessica had to have her kidney function closely monitored due to myopia-acute kidney injury, an infection caused by salmonella.

Jessica said: “This was meant be a really special occasion to celebrate our engagement but the holiday quickly turned into anyone’s worst nightmare. At first, I thought I had heatstroke until the symptoms got worse. I decided to hold out until I got home and expected things to improve. I was wrong.

“When I got home I spent all day in bed and the next day, I was so ill, I knew I needed a hospital. I never thought I would need to be admitted and kept in isolation.

“It was a scary time and all sorts of thoughts were running through my mind at that point. They said it was salmonella but I never realised you could be so ill as a result and they had to monitor my kidney function.

“Even after being discharged life hasn’t been the same. I’m far from recovered and I still can’t eat properly and started with hair loss. I had to take six weeks of work which was far from ideal.

“I’ve been to Kos several times in the past and loved it, but I’ll never go back now. As a first holiday without the children, Sam decided to pick this moment to propose. It was all meant to be so wonderful and romantic and was completely ruined.

“I’m now scared to book a honeymoon because of the experience. Luckily I’m pretty fit and well but I dread to think what could happen if someone older or vulnerable fell as ill as I did.

“We need answers to find out what went wrong so this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

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