A supposed dream holiday in Egypt almost ended in death for a British woman. She is said to have contracted hepatitis in the hotel.
A British holidaymaker reports on a dream holiday in Egypt that turned into a “holiday from hell” within a few days. As the “Mirror” reports, 28-year-old Olivia Hartley is said to have contracted hepatitis during her stay – an infection that almost cost her her life and which may now require a liver transplant.
For £1,400, or just under €1,650, Hartley and her fiancé Thomas Winn treated themselves to a week-long all-inclusive trip to Hurghada. But instead of relaxation, they found what they described as catastrophic hygienic conditions in their four-star hotel: “There were birds everywhere, food had been lying around stale for a long time, they just poured new food on top of old food that had been lying outside for hours.”
She also noticed the staff’s lack of hand hygiene after using the toilet. “On the flight back, my partner threw up six times,” Hartley told the Mirror. Hartley herself was plagued by nausea and diarrhea 48 hours after her return to the UK.
After three days of not being able to keep down food or water, she was taken to hospital with dehydration. Doctors discovered that her liver and kidneys were not functioning properly. She was diagnosed with hepatitis A – a liver infection that is transmitted through the stool of an infected person. Hartley is convinced that she caught the infection in the hotel.
“I had terrible stomach pains,” she told the Mirror. “The doctors told me my liver was in a very bad state and I had kidney damage from dehydration. They were very concerned about the liver values and the high hepatitis rates in Egypt.”
The University Hospital of Aachen also warns against hepatitis A and describes the disease as a “nasty holiday souvenir”. It recommends vaccination as the best preventive measure against the virus.
There are also clear rules of conduct for travelers who travel to risk areas without vaccination to minimize the risk of infection. These include being careful with street food stalls, carefully washing or peeling fruit and vegetables with boiled water, and avoiding eating raw shellfish and tap water.
Although Hartley recovered, she is still suffering from the effects of liver and kidney damage, according to the Mirror. She reports joint pain and fatigue. There are also concerns that she may need a liver transplant in the future. She expressed her anger at the airline to the Mirror. Despite her complaint in October, she never received a response.
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