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08 August 2014 09:06
Holiday... a reason to celebrate, but not if you have the same experience suffered by some holidaymakers in the Balearics of late
Families have spoken of scenes reminiscent of a horror movie after a vomiting bug hit 70 UK holidaymakers in Spain's Balearic Islands - just days after another 100 took ill in Egypt.
At least 50 people became sick at the Club Mac Alcudia on Mallorca, with another 20 taking ill at the Stil Victoria Playa on Menorca.
Several young children ended up in hospital as a result of the outbreak, and many families reported that their holidays had been ruined.
This illustrates why it is important to have health provision of some kind covered as part of worldwide travel insurance.
One 32-year-old woman from Washington, Tyne and Wear, described how her daughter became so ill she had to be taken to hospital. Emma Watkins described grim scenes with people "throwing up all over the place", while her three-year-old girl Faye had to be put on a drip.
Ms Watkins had been staying at Mallorca's Club Mac Alcudia with her partner John Briggs, 34, and two children, and found that the pool at the hotel had been closed without a stated reason.
Holiday firm Thomson were accused by other holidaymakers of "burying their heads in the sand" over sickness which broke out at Menorca's Stil Victoria Playa after they apparently told visitors they were "unaware" of any problems with sickness.
TripAdvisor was awash with negative comments about the hotel. One user, Susan B, from Manchester, described her family being confined to their room for 24 hours, requiring a 120-euro payment to see a doctor.
Thomson said it was aware of a "very small" number of sickness cases from the Victoria Playa hotel, and that advisers had been providing help and support to those affected. Independent investigations into the outbreak are under way, the operator said.
The outbreak follows a bug outbreak at an Egyptian resort that left 100 people ill - several of them having to be placed on a drip - at the four-star Coral Sea Waterworld complex in Sharm el Sheikh.
It is thought that the Shigella bug broke out, which can cause fever, stomach cramps and diarrhoea. Many holidaymakers reported being confined to their rooms, with some blaming the outbreak on poor hygiene and dirty forks.
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