The Dominican Republic holiday illness

The Dominican Republic boasts some of the most beautiful beaches and scenery in the Caribbean, and visitors enjoy fantastic holidays in this dream destination. Unfortunately, the Dominican Republic has also become well known for the number of complaints it receives about the standard of hotels, hygiene standards, unclean swimming pools, sewage smells and food poisoning. Salmonella, Cryptosporidium, Shigella, Salmonella and Norovirus are much too common illnesses suffered by holidaymakers in the Dominican Republic, and personal injury solicitors in the UK receive thousands of complaints every year.

The Dominican Republic has achieved impressive increases in access to water supply and sanitation over the past two decades. However, the quality of water supply and sanitation services remains poor, despite the country's high economic growth during the 1990s, and many water-borne viruses are contracted by holidaymakers.

Complaints have been made about the following resorts in the Dominican Republic: The Hotel Bahia Principe, San Juan, Puerto Plata, May and June, 2010, The Holiday Village Golden Beach, Puerto Plata, August, 2009, The Gran Ventana Beach Resort, Puerto Plata, August, 2009,  and The Grand Oasis, Punta Cana, June, 2009.

When travelling to the Dominican Republic, as when you travel to any resort in the Caribbean, avoid tap water and never ask for ice in your drinks unless you are sure it is made from bottled water. Never buy food from street vendors, and ensure any all-inclusive buffet style food in your hotel is served at the correct temperatures, and not left open to the elements. Avoid fried foods and barbecues, as both can carry health risks when food is not thoroughly cooked, causing Salmonella or gastric illness.

With the exception of a very few hotels, tap water is not drinkable in the Dominican Republic, and visitors should always drink bottled water, regardless of the destination. According to medical experts, travellers to major cities and resorts suffer reactions to unknown microbes found in tap water. It is also recommended to drink plenty of bottled water to avoid dehydration, particularly if you are suffering a stomach virus or gastroenteritis. Tap water may not affect the locals as their bodies are immune to the microbes found in the water. Food cooked in local water, however should be safe as boiling kills the bacteria, and fizzy drinks are also safe, as the process of ´carbonating´ kills bacteria.

Hotel owners and tour operators have been instrumental in improving the general standards of hygiene, food and safety in hotels in the Dominican Republic during the past few years, and the region was receiving more than its fair share of bad reports.  Hoteliers now strive to maintain higher levels of hygiene among kitchen and serving personnel, and most major hotels have water filter systems. Ill guests obviously represent losses for the hotel industry in the Dominican Republic, and although standards have improved, there are still far too many complaints being reported to holiday illness solicitors in the UK.