Multiple reports indicate that over 1,700 individuals have initiated legal proceedings against travel firm TUI following illnesses linked to a shigella outbreak in Cape Verde. Among the fatalities is a 71-year-old retired civil servant from Berkshire who died during her flight home in 2024 after becoming sick on holiday. At least eight British tourists have died after visiting the destination, according to major media sources.
The UK Health Security Agency recorded 137 cases of shigella between October and December, with about 80% of patients having recently traveled to Cape Verde. Shigella bacteria were found on some imported foods and in irrigation water used to wash produce in the country, major media reports suggest, pointing to a likely source of the outbreak. Details of the 71-year-old woman's case reveal severe hotel conditions.
Taken to room 3101. No water. Phone broken. Asked to be moved. Moved to room 117. No water apparently as Island.
According to Daily Mirror - Main, she described being taken to a room with no running water and a broken phone, then moved to another room that also lacked water. Staff had to manually flush the toilet for several days, multiple reports confirm. A post-mortem concluded she probably suffered dehydration and fever due to a bacterial illness, which increased demand on her enlarged heart, though the exact cause of death remains uncertain as this is described as a probable conclusion.
Another critical case involves Marie Peacock, 71, from Eston, who remains in a coma in Bangkok after being diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. Her family claims travel insurers Barclays Bank and Aviva are refusing to fund a medical aircraft to transport her back to Britain. According to Daily Mirror - Main, her niece described her as fighting the illness and expressed a desire for help to force insurance coverage for repatriation to Teesside for a second opinion.
My mum had suffered a heart attack and the stress of having to search for the right hospital, scared and in pain, put her in a state of absolute terror.
Whether the insurers will ultimately approve repatriation is unclear. In a separate incident, Lorraine Russell, 62, from North Lanarkshire, Scotland, died after suffering a heart attack on a Norwegian Cruise Line trip around Africa in January 2024, according to major media reports. Her family claims insurance provider Direct Line failed to find a suitable hospital for her operation in time to save her.
According to Daily Express - UK News, her daughter Ashley Hassan described her mother suffering a heart attack and the stress of searching for the right hospital putting her in a state of absolute terror. Ashley Hassan also recounted that the facility found was not a proper hospital but a sexual health clinic with people lying in cardboard boxes on the floor. It is unknown if Direct Line will cover the claim.
It wasn’t even a proper hospital, it was a sexual health clinic and people were lying in cardboard boxes on the floor.
In response to the crisis, TUI says customer health and safety is always its highest priority. Aviva states medical repatriation only goes ahead if qualified doctors and consulted medical experts confirm it is safe to do so. The total number of British tourists who have fallen ill in Cape Verde, beyond the 1,700 in legal action and 137 shigella cases, is not confirmed, and how widespread the outbreak is and what local authorities are doing to contain it remain unclear.