Food poisoning in Turkey

Holiday food poisoning causes untold misery for thousands of holiday makers every year, and some of the holiday destinations which regularly hit the headlines for the wrong reasons include: Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

Holiday food poisoning can leave you in pain and out of pocket, and you can miss a large part of your holiday if you are confined to your hotel room or your cabin, with symptoms of diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach cramps.

Undercooked food is one of the most common ways that food borne diseases are spread. Most raw foods, particularly animal products, must be cooked thoroughly to kill any bacteria that may be present, and barbecued food can be undercooked, causing severe symptoms of food poisoning.

Meats, for example, have an optimal internal temperature to which they should be cooked to minimize the risk of illness. When bacteria on foods are not completely eliminated, there is a chance that they could infect the consumer and cause a serious illness. Restaurants and other places that prepare food have a responsibility to serve clean, fully cooked food to their customers. When they fail to cook foods to the appropriate temperatures, they may be liable for any illnesses that result.

Food poisoning is caused by consumption of food that has been contaminated by bacteria, virus or natural poisons. Causes for food poisoning can be attributed to two categories - infective agents such as virus, bacteria and parasites and toxic agents such as poisonous mushrooms or pesticides. Poor sanitation, unhygienic food handling and improper preservation and packaging of food on holiday are common reasons for food poisoning.

The vast majority of holidays to Turkey are enjoyable and memorable, but far too many holidaymakers complain about the standard of hotels, harassment, sexual assault, inappropriate behaviour and poor health and hygiene in Turkish hotels. The majority of complaints concern the poor quality of the food, particularly in all-inclusive hotels, the quality of the water and the state of the swimming pools. Sewage smells and poor plumbing can lead to a wide range of holiday illness in Turkey, including: Shigella, Salmonella, Cryptosporidium, Gastroenteritis and Norovirus.

Turkish holiday resorts which have seen outbreaks of illness during the past 12 months include: The Kadikale Resort and Spa, Bodrum Peninsula, Turkey, May, 2010, The Club Falcon Hotel, Antalya, Turkey, in January, 2010, The Ilayda Hotel, Marmaris, Turkey, August, 2009, and the Hotel Aqua Deluxe, Icmeler, Turkey, during August and September, 2009.

Many holidaymakers reported that they were not alone in suffering food poisoning and sickness in their resort hotel or cruise ship. One of the major concerns among holidaymakers is that they are not told by the tour operator if there have been previous outbreaks of Norovirus, Salmonella or Gastroenteritis at hotels that are being advertised in their brochures. Introducing holidaymakers to a hotel or resort, when there is clear evidence that a virus may threaten their health is a serious matter, and tour operators should be held responsible if they deliberately with-hold information from the public.