Cape Verde illness and due to travel in 3 weeks

monstermash

Thanks for the comments - I saw the article in The Independent (1st October 2024) by Simon Calder, also looking today at Trip advisor there is a lot of reviews over the last 6 months were people have been complaining about sickness and also the amount of flies (which can carry Shigellosis). Just worried as my partner has a kidney condition and any sickness will mean a stay in hospital.  We know the risks as we have travelled around the world over the years, we just are trying to weigh up if it's worth the risk.

la531983

monstermash said:

Thanks for the comments - I saw the article in The Independent (1st October 2024) by Simon Calder, also looking today at Trip advisor there is a lot of reviews over the last 6 months were people have been complaining about sickness and also the amount of flies (which can carry Shigellosis). Just worried as my partner has a kidney condition and any sickness will mean a stay in hospital.  We know the risks as we have travelled around the world over the years, we just are trying to weigh up if it's worth the risk.

A question. If your husband has that condition, what made you book an all inclusive holiday in the first place on a sparsely populated, semi developed African island chain, with very limited medical facilities?

Don't get me wrong I can't wait to go back in a few years but I'm a fit and healthy man in his 40s.

Voyager2002

la531983 said:

monstermash said:

Thanks for the comments - I saw the article in The Independent (1st October 2024) by Simon Calder, also looking today at Trip advisor there is a lot of reviews over the last 6 months were people have been complaining about sickness and also the amount of flies (which can carry Shigellosis). Just worried as my partner has a kidney condition and any sickness will mean a stay in hospital.  We know the risks as we have travelled around the world over the years, we just are trying to weigh up if it's worth the risk.

A question. If your husband has that condition, what made you book an all inclusive holiday in the first place on a sparsely populated, semi developed African island chain, with very limited medical facilities?

Don't get me wrong I can't wait to go back in a few years but I'm a fit and healthy man in his 40s.

These "sparsely populated" resort islands are probably among the healthiest places in Africa: far more suitable than the densely inhabited slums of a major city, where all kinds of infections spread in the damp air...

la531983

Voyager2002 said:

la531983 said:

monstermash said:

Thanks for the comments - I saw the article in The Independent (1st October 2024) by Simon Calder, also looking today at Trip advisor there is a lot of reviews over the last 6 months were people have been complaining about sickness and also the amount of flies (which can carry Shigellosis). Just worried as my partner has a kidney condition and any sickness will mean a stay in hospital.  We know the risks as we have travelled around the world over the years, we just are trying to weigh up if it's worth the risk.

A question. If your husband has that condition, what made you book an all inclusive holiday in the first place on a sparsely populated, semi developed African island chain, with very limited medical facilities?

Don't get me wrong I can't wait to go back in a few years but I'm a fit and healthy man in his 40s.

These "sparsely populated" resort islands are probably among the healthiest places in Africa: far more suitable than the densely inhabited slums of a major city, where all kinds of infections spread in the damp air...

Major cities have major hospitals. I dread to think what the healthcare provision on Sal is like for someone with a complex kidney issue 

la531983

monstermash said:

la531983 said:

monstermash said:

Thanks for the comments - I saw the article in The Independent (1st October 2024) by Simon Calder, also looking today at Trip advisor there is a lot of reviews over the last 6 months were people have been complaining about sickness and also the amount of flies (which can carry Shigellosis). Just worried as my partner has a kidney condition and any sickness will mean a stay in hospital.  We know the risks as we have travelled around the world over the years, we just are trying to weigh up if it's worth the risk.

A question. If your husband has that condition, what made you book an all inclusive holiday in the first place on a sparsely populated, semi developed African island chain, with very limited medical facilities?

Don't get me wrong I can't wait to go back in a few years but I'm a fit and healthy man in his 40s.

for my partner having an illness maybe we should shut ourselves indoors all year in a plastic bubble. We were looking for somewhere that was still hot in November and TUI representatives recommended Cape Verde.  I'm only asking due to what seems a large number over several years of cases of sickness where the majority is concentrated at this hotel. 

I'm not suggesting anything of the sort. If I had a medical condition that may require me to be rushed to a hospital I certainly would be looking at more developed countries than Cape Verde. In any case whats done is done. 

monstermash

Sorry everyone just stressed over it all.  It's only a issue if they get a sickness bug, other than that a holiday is normal and we have a good time. Just doing the sensible thing and weighing up whether we will cancel the holiday and lose 90% of the cost. Thanks for all of your comments. I hope i'm not coming across rude i'm just worried that we won't be able to relax and enjoy the beautiful island. 

la531983

All I will say is if you don't have kids you should have booked the Riu Cabo Verde to escape them but too late for that now too lol. 

DullGreyGuy

monstermash said:

la531983 said:

monstermash said:

Thanks for the comments - I saw the article in The Independent (1st October 2024) by Simon Calder, also looking today at Trip advisor there is a lot of reviews over the last 6 months were people have been complaining about sickness and also the amount of flies (which can carry Shigellosis). Just worried as my partner has a kidney condition and any sickness will mean a stay in hospital.  We know the risks as we have travelled around the world over the years, we just are trying to weigh up if it's worth the risk.

A question. If your husband has that condition, what made you book an all inclusive holiday in the first place on a sparsely populated, semi developed African island chain, with very limited medical facilities?

Don't get me wrong I can't wait to go back in a few years but I'm a fit and healthy man in his 40s.

for my partner having an illness maybe we should shut ourselves indoors all year in a plastic bubble. We were looking for somewhere that was still hot in November and TUI representatives recommended Cape Verde.  I'm only asking due to what seems a large number over several years of cases of sickness where the majority is concentrated at this hotel. 

It's a very personal choice, some will hide from everything to get one more day, others will decide its better to live whatever times left. A former colleague has taken your suggested path, his wife is ill and hes barely left the house since 2020, almost all food is tinned so it can be bleached before coming in the house. 


Obviously dont know the medical condition, dont know if "end up in hospital" is on life support or something less serious. The reality is you can get sick eating anywhere... I've been to places in the world notorious for sickness but the worst food poisoning I've ever had was in Croydon, South London. 

There are basic precautions you can take that vastly reduce your risks. Buffets are particularly ropy but it's not hard to watch to see what standards are, how often things are changed etc. You know that tepid pork thats sat there for at least a few hours isn't going to be in a good place, especially with many using their fingers.

Not a fan of All Inclusive personally, the world is so much more interesting than what a single hotel offers. Yes there is an element of localisation and travel always increases risks but the highly uncommon common sense is good protection. Remember a trip a while back where several got ill but we didnt and people were asking how that was so since we were eating from food trucks etc. Well I can see the meat being cooked to order on a hot plancha, the sauce is fermented, the fruit is peeled, I ordered my drink without ice and saw the guys open the bottles of beer. You drank water with ice, had a salad that was still wet, your food was in a tepid bain marie for who knows how long