Joshua Nair
Almost 1,000 holiday-goers have been left fuming after they came down with gastric illnesses after a trip to Cape Verde.
Over the last three years, 926 people have revealed that they have come down with horrible illnesses after travelling to the island, while many were left hospitalised due to the development of their symptoms.
It's a bizarre occurrence, and one that several of the victims want to get to the bottom of.
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Hundreds of people have felt unwell after visiting one of seven hotels across the island, with serious injury lawyer Jatinder Paul, who works for Irwin Mitchell, explaining: “The sheer volume of clients we’re continuing to see coming forward having fallen ill during stays in Cape Verde over the last three years is incredibly concerning.”
Suggesting that these illnesses aren't 'isolated incidents', he wants to find out how the illnesses have continued to happen for so long, adding: "Gastric illness can result in long-term health problems or even death, and the fear is this could end in tragedy if something isn’t done to address the underlying causes."
Customer service assistant Cordelia Plummer was taken ill a week after landing with huge gastric symptoms, such as diarrhoea and vomiting.
Upon returning to the UK, she stayed in her room for four days before being told by her GP that it was possibly shigella.
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The 56-year-old from Birmingham was on holiday on the tropical island with her partner Ian Waller, also 56. They are contacting lawyers after both coming down with serious gastric illness during their stay at the Riu Cabo Verde hotel in Sal, Cape Verde.
Booked via TUI, the holiday was booked for two weeks in July and the pair paid near £3,000 for a holiday to the African country.
Days after Cordelia fell sick, Ian had the same condition a few days down the line, as it continued for him until he returned home.
He is still suffering with changes to his bowel habits, and the couple said that through conversations with others at the hotel, they too had been suffering with similar symptoms.
Hopping online once they got back, they noticed the unfavourable reviews given by people, particularly complaining about the food, which the couple said was uncovered and lukewarm. Not a great sign.
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If you thought that was bad, they also claimed to have seen cockroaches in the restaurant near the deserts.
Speaking about the fallout, Cordelia said: “What started as headaches and a feeling of nausea, became the worst sickness and diarrhoea I’ve ever known.
"I think everyone has probably had an upset stomach at one time or another, but this was something much worse.”
Outlining that they both had issues with how the food was presented, she continued: “The cockroaches were also disgusting, and when we pointed this out on one occasion, a member of staff came out, picked it up in a napkin and walked towards the kitchen with it.”
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According to her, older and younger people were falling ill like them, adding: “The number of stories we have seen and heard before coming home and returning to the UK are shocking.
"Had we seen these beforehand, we’d never have booked the holiday.
"I think Ian and myself and all the other people who have fallen ill need to know what happened and what is being done to prevent this happening to others,” she concluded.
LADbible has reached out to TUI for comment.