Families tell of E.coli ordeal at Egyptian hotel
TWO Welsh families are among a group of people whose luxury holidays were allegedly ruined after picking up E.coli and other gastric illnesses.
They are part of a wider group made up of 36 people who all reported becoming ill while visiting the five-star Jaz Aquamarine hotel in Hurghada, Egypt, between January and the end of October 2019.
Myfanwy Bunting, 50, from Rhoose, travelled with her husband Dean, 49, and daughter Edan, eight, on July 22 for a holiday booked for the couple’s honeymoon.
However, just three days into their two-week break, Dean and Edan began feeling unwell.
Their symptoms included diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, fever, sweats and lethargy. One day later Myfanwy also became ill.
On August 5, the family arrived back in the UK. Edan’s symptoms had subsided by then but Dean and Myfanwy were still struggling.
Myfanwy, a self-employed property manager, said: “Our wedding guests had all given us money for our honeymoon and we were all really looking forward to it so I felt awful having to tell them it was wasted as we spent most of our time unwell.
“While we were there we noticed that the hotel kept shutting the pools for long periods of time.
“We were also concerned over the food not being handled well in the restaurants. We even saw some people picking up food, tasting it and then putting it back.
“After we fell ill we spoke to our reps and hotel staff but we feel like they just fobbed us off and tried telling us that it was because we weren’t used to the heat or the spicy food. But we were certain this wasn’t the reason.”
On August 6, Myfanwy consulted her GP about the ongoing symptoms and underwent testing. She was subsequently diagnosed with E.coli and the closely-related bacterial infection shigella.
Myfanwy said: “I’ve never been so poorly but it was still a huge shock when I found out I had E.coli as well as another gastric infection. It’s not something you expect to have to deal with on your honeymoon.
“Our holiday was ruined and Dean and I still suffer from gastric problems to this day. While nothing will make up for what we’ve been through we just want answers now and to know if anything else could have been done to stop it happening to others.”
On October 14, 2019, Dean Cook, 55, and his wife Linda, from Ton Pentre, also visited the hotel for a two-week holiday.
Within four days Linda began to suffer from diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, fever and sweats.
A day later Dean fell ill with gastric symptoms. Upon returning home on October 28, the pair consulted their GP.
By November 6 Dean had begun to rally though he had lost 7lb. Linda was unwell for eight weeks and lost about 10lbs and says she still has ongoing issues today.
Dean, a semi-retired supply teacher, said: “We were really looking forward to our holiday which we had booked to celebrate my semiretirement.
“It was clear something wasn’t right as at one point staff were going around asking people if they had suffered from illness.
“I also noticed that the food in the restaurant was left uncovered, and raw and cooked meats were being handled with the same utensils. I’ve stayed in similar hotels which have been immaculate but this one was a world apart in cleanliness.
“It was shocking to see and hear how many people were unwell. It just got worse and worse as the holiday went on.”
Specialist international serious injury experts at Irwin Mitchell are now pursuing legal action through the courts.
Hannah Clifford, at Irwin Mitchell representing those affected, said: “To hear that so many people were struck down with debilitating illness after staying at Hurghada’s Jaz Aquamarine hotel is deeply concerning.
“Our clients were understandably looking forward to their holidays and were left devastated when they developed gastric symptoms. These types of illnesses can lead to severe long-term conditions and should never be downplayed.”