Legal experts supporting families struck down by illness on holiday in Egypt

A British baby has died, and two children left with serious kidney complications, after developing severe gastric illness while holidaying at the same hotel in Egypt, lawyers have revealed.

Specialist international serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have been instructed by the families of three British children who all fell ill during all inclusive holidays at the five star Jaz Makadi Aquaviva in Hurghada, Egypt, between July 2024 and January 2026.

The cases involve a one year old girl who tragically died, as well as a then two year old girl from Kent and a then six year old boy from Derbyshire.

Investigations are continuing into all three cases, with all holidays having been booked through TUI UK Limited.

All three children were diagnosed with haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a rare but serious kidney condition linked to E. coli, which can lead to kidney failure, brain damage and death.

Jatinder Paul, the lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the families, said: 

“Over many years, my team and I have supported countless holidaymakers and the families of those who have fallen ill at resorts across the globe. While every case is serious, those involving children are always especially disturbing.

 

“The fact these incidents have occurred at the same Egyptian hotel is a major cause for concern.

 

“E. coli is particularly dangerous for young children, who are vulnerable to developing HUS - a condition that can cause severe, life long renal complications and tragically can be fatal.

 

“While nothing can undo the ordeal these families have suffered, our focus is now on helping to provide them with the answers they deserve and either the specialist support they require to come to terms with their loss or the specialist rehabilitation two of these children now need.”

Irwin Mitchell also successfully secured undisclosed settlements for 125 holidaymakers who stayed at the Jaz Makadi Aquaviva in 2017 and suffered serious illnesses, with many testing positive for bacterial infections such as salmonella and E.coli.

Case Studies

Baby dies after being diagnosed with haemolytic uraemic syndrome

One year old Ariella Mann, travelled to the Jaz Makadi Aquaviva hotel with her parents, full time mum, Jade Oakes, age 34, and scaffolder, Lee Mann, 37, along with her older sister, Summer Mann, aged six, on 21 December 2025, on an all inclusive two week package holiday costing £6,000.

During the second week of their holiday, Ariella, developed severe symptoms, including a fever, diarrhoea, vomiting and dehydration. As her condition worsened, she was treated on multiple occasions at the hotel’s medical clinic.

The family arrived home in the UK on 5 January, 2026. However, Ariella’s condition continued to deteriorate.

On 6 January her condition deteriorated further, and her parents called 999 and she was taken by ambulance to hospital. On 7 January, Ariella was transferred to a specialist children’s hospital, where she was admitted to intensive care and placed into an induced coma.

It was confirmed that Ariella had contracted E. coli, causing HUS, which required dialysis and also affected her brain. Tragically, her condition continued to worsen, and she died on 10 January.

Jade said: 

“We went to Egypt expecting to make happy memories with our little girl, but instead it became the worst time of our lives.

 

“Ariella was such a happy child, and it quickly became obvious that she wasn’t herself, but nothing could ever have prepared us for what happened.

 

“We felt completely helpless watching Ariella suffer. Later, hearing that other children had developed the same illness, I was distraught. We want to warn other families about the dangers of E. coli and HUS.

 

“I can’t begin to describe the pain of losing a child. After Ariella’s death, returning from hospital to her unopened Christmas presents was unbearable. Lee hasn’t felt able to return to work since Ariella left us and we do our best to support each other, but most days it is a struggle to even get out of bed.

 

“Ariella was a special, inquisitive and loving little girl, and the best daughter and little sister anyone could have wished for. We will miss her with all our hearts.

 

“This has been a horrific time for our whole family, and we know we will never be the same again. We deserve answers about what happened to our daughter.”

Glossop boy falls ill while staying at Jaz Makadi Aquaviva

Arthur Broughton, then aged six, from Glossop, Derbyshire, travelled with his parents, Sharon Turner and Daniel Broughton, who own a building company, to the Jaz Makadi Aquaviva hotel on 30 August, 2025, for a week long all inclusive holiday costing £2,400.

A few days into the holiday, Arthur and his parents fell ill, developing symptoms such as diarrhoea, a fever and abdominal pain.

The family arrived home to the UK on 7 September. However, Arthur’s condition deteriorated rapidly. He developed severe bloody diarrhoea and began vomiting blood.

On 9 September, Arthur was taken by ambulance to hospital. On 11 September, he was transferred by ambulance to a specialist children’s hospital for further treatment.

Doctors confirmed that Arthur had contracted E. coli, which led to HUS. He required dialysis and was admitted to intensive care, where he was sedated and placed on a ventilator.

Arthur remained in hospital for almost three weeks. During this time, medics noted changes affecting his brain. He was discharged on 1 October.

Arthur, now seven, has been left living with kidney failure as well as psychological trauma. Due to the severity of the illness and its impact on his brain, he had to relearn how to walk properly, and his speech remained slurred for some time.

His kidney function currently operates at approximately 70%, and he continues to take medication, while remaining under the care of a specialist nephrology team.

Sharon said: 

“It’s been several months since all of this happened, and we’re still trying to come to terms with the shock and fear of almost losing our son.

 

“We hadn’t eaten anywhere except the hotel, which was rated five star.  When we all started to feel unwell, it was frustrating that it had ruined our holiday, but it was still something we thought we’d recover from.

 

“When Arthur didn’t improve, I was filled with dread. I’ll never forget Arthur asking me if he was going to die and the image of seeing him lying in a hospital bed with tubes helping him breathe will stay with me forever. It’s every mum’s worst nightmare.

 

“He was in hospital for nearly a month, and when he came home, he had to relearn how to have full use of his legs again as he was unable to stand if in a seated position or walk upstairs. He was always such a funny little boy, so bright and always a real joy to be around, so it’s been incredibly difficult seeing him become more reserved and struggle with things he used to do so easily.

 

“He’s still recovering, and the most frightening part is knowing these complications could stay with him for the rest of his life.”

Sittingbourne girl “changed forever” following holiday illness

Chloe Crook, aged two at the time of her holiday, from Sittingbourne, Kent, travelled with her parents, Megan, 35, and Alex, 42, and her two siblings, Charlie, then aged 15 and Libby, also aged 15 at the time, to the Jaz Makadi Aquaviva hotel on 2 July 2024, for a week-long all-inclusive package holiday costing £4,200.

Two days into the holiday, Chloe developed severe gastric symptoms including diarrhoea, vomiting, fever and fatigue. Her parents took her to the hotel’s medical clinic on two occasions before she was admitted to a hospital in Egypt on 6 July.

Within a few days she temporarily lost her eyesight, became non-verbal, appeared in obvious pain, and bruising appeared under the skin on her head. Tests revealed her kidneys weren’t functioning and she experienced several seizures. She underwent emergency dialysis and was diagnosed with HUS caused by E. coli infection.

On 10 July, she was airlifted from Egypt to a hospital in London, where she continued to receive dialysis and was admitted to intensive care. She was placed into an induced coma for four days. During this time, Chloe developed pneumonia and was found to have a blood clot in her neck and arm, which she also received treatment for.

She was discharged from hospital on 31 July.

Now three-years-old, Chloe continues to attend follow up appointments with the hospital’s nephrology team and is dealing with the psychological impact of her illness.

Chloe’s parents have said:

“It’s shocking and heartbreaking to hear that after everything that Chloe and other children have gone through it is still happening - families are still being sold these luxury package holidays without any prior knowledge of the history of this hotel.”