Stool samples after holiday sickness

Far too many holidaymakers suffer food poisoning and gastric illness abroad each year and the majority of them return to work in the UK without giving a stool sample to their GP.

Reports claim that nearly 40% of people who suffer holiday sickness continue to feel ill for weeks afterwards and even minor symptoms of vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps should be checked out when they return home.

If Salmonella, E-Coli, Cryptosporidium or Campylobacter is not treated quickly and correctly, holidaymakers could suffer serious illness and still be carrying the disease when they return to work. To make sure you are no longer carrying the disease, arrange to give a stool sample to you GP as soon as you return back in the UK.

Providing a stool sample is much easier than you may expect, and your GP will normally provide you with a pack to take home. A small sample of your stool can be put into the packet provided and you can then take it back to your GP or environmental health officer for testing.

Most tests will identify Salmonella, Cryptosporidium, Campylobacter and E-Coli. If your illness lasts for longer than expected, you may have to be re-tested to ensure you are fit to return to work. Sometimes, even if you are no longer suffering symptoms of illness, you could still be carrying the bacteria.

Many cases of holiday illness go unreported each year by holiday makers and official figures do not always reflect a true picture of the extent of cases. If your GP tries to put you off having a stool test and instead advises you to rest and drink plenty of fluids, you are well within your rights to insist the test is carried out for your own peace of mind.

Cases of holiday illness abroad can be serious and it is generally thought that if GPs and environmental health officers investigated all illnesses which originate outside the UK as a matter of course, hundreds, if not thousands, more cases would be confirmed. A better process of data collection relating to holiday illness cases would also allow the Government to ensure tour operators only promote package holiday hotels with high standards of health and hygiene.

If you have become ill abroad at a package holiday hotel, contact us as soon as possible. We specialise in claiming compensation for holidaymakers who are ill abroad, and Anne Thomson, who heads our Holiday Illness Compensation Claims Department, has over 25 years´ experience of handling holiday illness claims. We work on a no win, no fee basis and you keep 100% of the compensation. Call Anne on: 080001 54321 or fill in the online claim form.