Illness contracted from holidays in Egypt

Irwin Mitchell Solicitors are calling for stricter health and hygiene measures from Tour Operators offering holidays in Egypt following a worrying increase in the number of holiday makers returning from that country with serious Gastric illness such as Salmonella.

The International Travel Litigation Group at the national law firm have received inquires from over 100 holidaymakers seeking legal advice after suffering gastric illness after staying at various resorts across Egypt over the last couple of years,

Mr Jason Wainwright (37), his wife Emma (30) and their son Joshua (8) from Bingley in West Yorkshire had booked an all inclusive family holiday to the St George Three Corners resort in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in July/August 2006 through the tour operator, Panorama.

According to the family the hygiene in the hotel was sub-standard with food not served at the correct temperatures and being left uncovered in the restaurant which allowed insects, flies and wasps to attack the food.

Mrs Wainwright fell ill on the third day of her holiday. The following day Mr Wainwright fell ill and by the fifth day of the holiday Joshua Wainwright had also fallen ill. All three family members had similar symptoms of diarrhoea, stomach cramps and nausea meaning they were confined to their hotel room for three days.

Upon the Wainwright's return home they visited their GP and both Mr and Mrs Wainwright were informed that they had contracted Giardiasis, an inflammation of the intestines, caused by an infection with the parasite Giardia lamblia.

Mrs Wainwright said "During our stay we spoke with other guests and it turned out that almost every guest in the hotel was suffering from these symptoms one way or the other. It is unacceptable that we paid for a dream holiday only to contract a parasitic disease which has caused us nothing but pain and suffering."

Leigh Blac (32) and James Blac (32) from Lanarkshire suffered devastating effects following their honeymoon to the Hilton Conrad in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt in July/August 2006.

Mr Blac was rushed to Wishaw General Hospital a week after he and his new wife returned to the UK where he was diagnosed with Reiter's syndrome, a reactive arthritis brought on by bacteria such as Salmonella.

Illness from River Nile cruises

Complaints are also being investigated by Irwin Mitchell for Holiday makers who have taken cruises down the river Nile.

Miss Michaela Richardson (32) and Mr Edmund Brelsford (49) from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire were on a week holiday over the Christmas period in 2006 aboard the Pascha Cruise ship, down the River Nile, Egypt.

Both Miss Richardson and Mr Brelsford were holidaying on an all-inclusive basis and only consumed food or drink provided by the cruise ship, following the trip they both suffered Gastric Illness and are now taking legal action against Tour Operators Celtic Holidays.

Sadly the Pascha Cruise is not the only Nile Cruise to be affected, a husband and wife from Crawley in West Sussex are taking legal action against the Tour Operator Cosmos after they both suffered serious gastric illness whilst aboard the MS Lady Mary.

Mr and Mrs Longmead were on a two week holiday in June 2006 to celebrate Mrs Longmead's 50th birthday. The holiday consisted of a cruise of the Nile followed by two hotel stops in Cairo and Luxor.

They were both struck down with diarrhoea, stomach pains, headaches and high temperatures; symptoms they believe were caused as a result of the poor food hygiene standards on board the boat.

Mr Longmead commented that there were flies on the food on regular occasions. The food was also undercooked and uncovered.

Solicitor highlights increasing number of illness claims from Egypt

Clive Garner, Partner of the International Travel Litigation department for Irwin Mitchell Solicitors said "Every year we act for Holiday Makers that have suffered serious gastric illness or accidents abroad. In the past we have seen many of these cases coming from the Dominican Republic, however the trend at least for last year has been an increasing amount of cases coming from holidaymakers returning from Egypt, Tour Operators should take note of this and make sure that adequate health and hygiene procedures are being implemented throughout their hotels and cruise packages offered on the River Nile."

If you or someone you know has been affected by illness abroad, our solicitors can help take legal action against your tour operator. Fill in our online claims form for free advice.

Alternatively, you can visit our illness abroad claims section for more information.