Holiday pools condemned
06/01/2004
I would like to thank you and your colleagues for the kindness shown to myself and my wife. I class myself as very fortunate to have met such kind and caring people.
Raymond, HertfordshireA report published today condemns the state of hotel pools in the popular tourist destinations of Majorca and Corfu. Holiday Which? reported that they took samples from 80 hotel pools in August 2003.
The report makes grim reading for holidaymakers who are booking their summer holidays for this year. Just two of the pools tested got a clean bill of health; twenty were condemned as a health hazard and twenty-nine as a potential health hazard, posing a risk to holidaymakers.
The report comes as no surprise to the Ghouri family who flew out to Majorca in July 2003 to spend quality time together. Staying at the Alcudia Pins hotel, the family of four visited the hotel pool more than three times a day. Just six days into their holiday the children became ill with violent vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of appetite and stomach cramps. Their symptoms were so severe that 8-year-old Alexander and 4-year-old Natasha were both hospitalised in Majorca.
Three members of the family tested positive for Cryptosporidium and were only able to fly home to the UK five days after originally planned. They continued to suffer symptoms of the illness for more than 3 weeks after returning home.
Injury and illness overseas specialists Alexander Harris solicitors are representing the Ghouri family and a further 1200 holidaymakers who were struck down by the debilitating bug Cryptosporidium at the Alcudia Pins hotel in Majorca. The hotel pool tested positive for the waterborne parasite, which can cause severe sickness and diarrhoea and can be particularly serious for the young, the elderly and those with any immuno-deficiency.
Filthy Pool
A number of families staying at the hotel had complained of the increasing number of those falling ill and the unhealthy state of the pool, which some guests described as 'filthy'.
Following the outbreak of Cryptosporidium at the Alcudia Pins hotel in Majorca, Alexander Harris received hundreds of calls from concerned holidaymakers in Alcudia and other popular tourist resorts across Europe.
Christian Beadell, solicitor acting for the families, commented: 'The Holiday Which? report published today raises further concern as to the cleanliness of the pools in overseas tourist destinations. Cryptosporidium is a bug that can be easily transferred. It causes severe symptoms, and can ruin any holiday. Its incubation period is usually around a week and many of our clients did not realise they had contracted the bug until they returned to the UK. Immediate medical advice is paramount in such cases, as is speedy and effective identification of any possible source of contamination. Hoteliers must be vigilant to ensure any outbreaks are quickly traced and adequate steps are taken to limit the spread of any bugs to other guests. It is clear that in many cases this does not happen resulting in the widespread problems we seem to see each year.'
Notes to Editors
- Investigations and negotiations are ongoing in the Alcudia Pins litigation.
- Photographs of the pool can be found at www.alexanderharris.co.uk under the news item Alcudia Pins posted on the 28th July 2003.
- Queries should be directed to Claire Rowley PR Executive at Alexander Harris on 0161 925 5555.
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