Recent holiday illness in Egypt

Most holidays in Egypt are enjoyable and memorable, and holidaymakers return to the UK refreshed, relaxed and healthy. However, hundreds of complaints are made each year by holidaymakers returning from Egypt, about harassment, sexual assault, inappropriate behaviour, poor food and hygiene, and dirty swimming pools. The range of illnesses contracted on holidays in Egypt include: Salmonella, Shigella, Cryptosporidium, serious gastric problems and Norovirus.

Problems often occur during all-inclusive holidays to Egypt, and holidaymakers should bear in mind, that strict health, safety and hygiene laws which are practised in the UK, are rarely practised in Egypt, Turkey, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Tunisia, and extra care must be taken to avoid illness. Never, for example take ice in drinks unless you know it has been made with bottled water, never eat food that is not hot/cold enough, and beware undercooked food on the holiday barbecue. Never drink any water served in a carafe, insist on a bottled variety that you can see is delivered unopened. Do not then pour the water into a glass full of ice, as the ice will be contaminated. Do not eat the salad, as the salad will have been washed in water. There are plenty of cooked alternatives and it will not harm you to stick to those for a few days.

If you have a particular preference for seafood, order it in restaurants that are certain to have bought it fresh daily, and never order a seafood salad, or lobster in a restaurant that is not busy, or where such delicacies are a rarity.

Holidaymakers have made complaints about the following Egyptian resorts during the past 12 months: The Sharm Plaza, Sharm El Sheikh, June, 2010, The Gardenia Plaza Resort, Sharm El Sheikh, February, 2010, The Albatros Palace Hotel, Hughada, June, 2010, and The Rehana Sharm Resort, Sharm El Sheikh, June, 2010.

Serious health problems and viruses, including Salmonella, have been reported in many hotels in Egypt during the past five years, and concern has been expressed about the poor standards of health and safety throughout the resorts. Salmonella is one of the most common forms of food borne illness that people are aware of today and the symptoms of this type of food poisoning are very flu like and can sometimes be confused with other viruses going around at that time.

The symptoms will develop usually 12-36 hours after eating contaminated food. Although Salmonella is not uncommon,  symptoms can be long lasting, and if you have contracted the virus in Egypt or in any other holiday resort, you need to seek medical advice as soon as you return to the UK. If you are a food handler, you may not be able to return to work if you have suffered Salmonella for several weeks.