Legal Experts Now Representing More Than 1,100 People Who Suffered Illnesses Including E.Coli And Salmonella Linked To Holidays On African Island In Last Three Years

Over 200 more British holidaymakers have instructed lawyers to investigate serious illness linked to holidays in Cape Verde – bringing the total number to more than 1,100.

Specialist international serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell are now representing 1,107 British people who have stayed at luxury hotels on the African island in the last three years and who have been struck down with serious gastric illnesses.

They include children as young as three. Illnesses include E.coli, salmonella and the bacterial infection shigella which can have a long-standing impact on the bowel, and can even prove to be fatal for the most vulnerable.

Hundreds of holidaymakers hospitalised

Hundreds of the 1,100-plus were hospitalised, either in the UK or Cape Verde. All of the 1,107 booked their holidays through the tour operator TUI.

The latest cases come after Irwin Mitchell revealed earlier this month that it was representing 926 holidaymakers to Cape Verde who had fallen ill since 2022. 

The new group includes 40 tourists who fell ill during and following stays at Riu Palace Santa Maria in Sal, Cape Verde, throughout 2024. Eleven were hospitalised.

The hotels with the highest numbers of people who have fallen ill include Riu Palace Santa Maria, with 396 holidaymakers, including 63 this year. Meanwhile Riu Funana is second with 218 cases,18 this year. Riu Cabo Verde has seen 192 cases - 56 in 2024 - since 2022.

With Cape Verde an increasingly popular winter sun destination, lawyers at Irwin Mitchell are advising those due to holiday in the country in the coming months to take extra precautions to try and avoid falling ill.

Jatinder Paul is the expert international serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell supporting the holidaymakers.

Expert Opinion

“Despite all the reports of illness from guests who have stayed at hotels in Cape Verde, it’s staggering to think that three years after the first reports, we’re continuing to see significant numbers coming forward reporting debilitating illness.

“Our clients continue to report alarmingly similar illnesses and are understandably angry at how this state of affairs has been allowed to continue.

“Cape Verde seems to be a hotspot for these cases and our clients have many questions. As the numbers of cases continues to mount, we’re determined to help them secure the answers they deserve.

“We’d be interested in hearing from other guests who have fallen ill at these hotels in the Cape Verde this year as we investigate whether there is a common source of infection.” Jatinder Paul

The full list of hotels are:

• Riu Palace Santa Maria
• Riu Boavista 
• Melia Dunas
• Sol Dunas
• Riu Funana
• Riu Cabo Verde
• TUI Blue Cabo Verde
• Riu Karamboa
• TUI Suneo Dunas

More tourists share their holiday illness stories

Diane Taylor, Aberdeen

Diane Taylor, a 57-year-old accounts co-ordinator from Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, travelled to the Riu Palace Santa Maria in Sal, Cape Verde, from 2 to 16 August, 2024. She paid £4,156 for the holiday.

Diane was travelling with her husband John, when five days into the holiday, she was struck down with severe diarrhoea, coupled with shooting pains throughout her body, shivers, fatigue and loss of appetite.

The symptoms continued for several days until she started to improve on 14 August, meaning Diane was well enough to be able to board her flight home. Diane sought advice from her GP on her return home.

Diane and her husband had a number of concerns about the standards at the hotel and believed that others had fallen ill at the same time they were staying.

They found cockroaches in their hotel room and said they were such a common occurrence that hotel staff gave Diane a can of bug spray to deal with them. Diane was also concerned about food hygiene standards. The couple complained about all of this in a letter to TUI.

Diane speaks out over ‘worst holiday ever’

Diane said: “Without a doubt this is one break away we’ll never forget; it was the worst holiday ever. Everything that could go wrong did. Right from the start our key cards didn’t activate and the room wasn’t clean and in a poor state of repair.

“It was really terrible and for those several days, I have never felt so ill in my life. I wasn’t able to eat due to the stomach cramps and nausea.

“As I started to feel better, I sought out bland food and lived off bread rolls and chips. The whole nightmare wasn’t what I was expecting for a five-star hotel. On the last night, I looked at the food again and it seemed dishes like the salmon were uncooked and we decided eating wasn’t worth the risk.

“We’ve now seen so many terrible reports and stories from people who stayed at this hotel. It feels like there are many concerns and that people need answers.

“I want to know what’s going on and what is being done to stop others from falling ill like I did.”

Sarah Tootell, Bury

Sarah Tootell, from Bury, is one of the holidaymakers who have asked Irwin Mitchell to investigate her illness. The 44-year-old mum travelled to Cape Verde on 8 May for a week-long stay with her nine-year-old daughter, Halle.

Having lost her husband over six years ago, the trip was the first time Sarah travelled alone with her daughter and was intended as a chance for a break and scatter her husband’s ashes whilst there.

Mum and daughter were returning home in the early hours of 16 May when Sarah began to feel feverish and unwell. By 17 and 18 May, this had become severe sickness and diarrhoea. By the Monday, the symptoms were so bad, Sarah consulted her GP, who did tests which confirmed she had tested positive for shigella. Sarah continues to feel nauseous and still struggles to eat normally.

Sarah Tootell: ‘people need the facts’

Sarah said: “This was the first time I had travelled on my own with Halle and took a lot of courage to book in the first place, so I’m devastated by the way things have turned out. The room had a strange damp smell, but I didn’t complain we just wanted to get on with the holiday.

“I had concerns about the food, including the number of animals around and flies on some of the dishes left out. We always avoided these but there also seemed to be a lot of food brought back to life too, with ribs at lunchtime recycled in a rib curry at night.

“I felt unwell on the trip home on 16 May and by the next day I had the most horrendous diarrhoea and sickness that just went on and on and the stomach cramps were terrible.

“I’m pretty fit but you worry what would happen if someone more vulnerable went down with such an illness and people need the facts.”

Josephine Black and Graham Lamont, Glasgow, Scotland

Josephine Black, 53, a council worker and her husband, Graham Lamont, 59, an NHS training manager travelled to Riu Palace Santa Maria on 10 May for a week-long stay.

Josephine and Graham were on their first five-star all-inclusive holiday, to celebrate their daughter Freya finishing school and to enjoy a final family holiday before Freya started university.

Josephine started to experience severe sickness on 11 May with Graham falling ill  on 16 May., Freya, 18 and her 13-year-old sister, Nina, complained of stomach cramps and diarrhoea on the day they returned home.

Graham lost more than 17lb in weight.

Josephine said: “This trip was booked as probably our last family holiday together. We’ve never tried five star or all-inclusive before and this seemed a perfect time. We couldn’t have been more wrong.

“This is the last thing you expect from a five-star holiday and we now wish we’d never been. I just wish we’d seen some of these reviews before we left.”

Lawyers share advice for those due to travel to Cape Verde

Irwin Mitchell, who have vast experience of helping victims who have fallen ill across the globe, have shared the following key advice for those due to travel to Cape Verde in the coming months:

• If in doubt about the safety of the water, use sealed bottled water for drinking and brushing your teeth. With any salads and raw foods, check with the provider as to how they have been washed.
• At a buffet check whether the cutlery is clean and if it is contaminated with other dishes. If you have any allergies, always ask if there is no clear labelling present.
• Before travelling, ensure you have travel insurance with good medical assistance cover for the duration of your trip.

• If you're faced with illness or other serious difficulties at your resort, it is important to report this as soon as possible to the local holiday rep or hotel staff.
• If you seek medical help abroad, make sure you get a copy of the doctor's report. It is important to research the area before travelling to find reliable medical care.

Find out more about our expertise in supporting people affected by serious illness on holiday at our dedicated illness abroad section. Alternatively, to speak to an expert contact us or call 0370 1500 100.