My twins’ horror skin infection at hotel in Majorca
A MOTHER has told how her twins caught the worst case of hand, foot and mouth disease her GP had ever seen while staying at a hotel in Majorca.
Kimberley McCabe said Mila-Rose and Kyson, nine months, developed painful and infectious red sores during their week-long holiday.
After discovering there had been nearly 50 other cases, she accused the hotel and travel agents of a cover-up.
Miss McCabe said holiday operator Jet2 did not warn the family about the outbreak before they arrived at the Club Mac Hotel in Alcudia last month.
She said she saw several guests with the illness – which in extreme cases can be fatal – during her first family holiday with the twins.
Club Mac later confirmed that 48 people have been diagnosed with it since September 11.
Miss McCabe, a hairdresser from Solihull, West Midlands, said: ‘There were no signs warning us of the outbreak during check-in. My poor babies were covered in red angry blisters, they were so poorly
that it completely ruined our holiday. When I approached our Jet2 rep, they said, “we don’t want to scare our guests, that’s why we’re not telling them”. ‘The hotel just tried to cover it up. As I walked around the resort... I could see the effect it was having on so many other children. ‘When we went to the hotel doctor, she even said, “Oh, here’s another one!” Several other guests had to leave early.’ Miss McCabe and her partner flew to the Spanish resort on September 19, and noticed hand, foot and mouth symptoms in their twins three days later. After the twins were diagnosed they were told to remain in their room. The family flew home on September 26 after being declared fit to fly.
Miss McCabe said that when she took the twins to her GP back in the UK, the doctor told her it was the worst case of the disease they had ever seen.
Hand, foot and mouth is common among young children, but can also affect adults, and usually clears up by itself after between seven and ten days.
Symptoms include sore throat, high temperature and loss of appetite. After a few days mouth ulcers and a rash will appear. It is passed on through coughs, sneezes and faeces. Blisters appear on the hands and feet.
The illness has nothing to do with foot and mouth disease that affects farm animals.
Miss McCabe said: ‘ The babies were born four weeks premature and have a weakened immune system, so I was so worried about them being ill. Both the hotel and Jet2 have completely failed us. We still haven’t had an explanation as to why they deemed it acceptable not to inform guests.’
Miss McCabe said since posting a message about the holiday on Facebook, others have come forward to say their families also developed hand, foot and mouth disease symptoms after staying at the hotel.
A spokesman for Jet2 said: ‘We are aware of a small number of cases of hand, foot and mouth at the Club Mac Hotel. We have briefed our team on how to prevent the spread of the illness and displayed posters on notice boards.’
Vicente Giménez, manager at Club Mac Hotel Alcudia, added: ‘We are aware of a small number of cases … and we’re doing everything possible to reduce the spread of this highly contagious infection.
‘Forty- eight people have been confirmed with it since September 11. In September we had over 12,000 guests at Club Mac.’