A British tourist says doctors had to fight hard to save her life after she returned to the UK from a four-star holiday in Egypt with hepatitis, which she says was caused by poor hygiene by resort staff.
Olivia Hartley says she almost died after returning home from a £1,400 easyJet trip to Hurghada, Egypt, last September.
The 28-year-old, who lives in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, had been on holiday for a week with her fiance Thomas Winn, 31, at an all-inclusive four-star resort when the pair began to feel unwell.
On the plane home, Olivia said her partner Thomas threw up “six times” while she began suffering from nausea and diarrhea hours after returning home.
Unable to keep down any food or water for three days, Olivia was hospitalized with dehydration and doctors told her liver and kidney function were abnormal.
Doctors told Olivia it was “highly likely” she had been infected with hepatitis A – a liver infection that is spread in the waste of an infected person.
Olivia is certain she contracted the deadly virus from the hotel – claims about the resort’s food hygiene, which the couple chose not to divulge, were “terrible”.
Doctors were so concerned that they warned Olivia that if her condition did not improve, she might need a liver transplant.
Olivia has thankfully recovered – but is still suffering from the effects of liver and kidney damage and fears she may still need a transplant in the future.
Olivia, a psychologist’s assistant, said: “The food hygiene in the hotel was terrible. There were birds everywhere, food sat around for a long, long time, just piling new food on top of old food that had been out for hours.
“My fiance and I had a bit of a funny tummy the last day. On the plane home, my partner threw up about six times.
“I was fine then [48 hours after coming home] I started with vomiting and diarrhea. Then I got to the point where I couldn’t keep any fluid down. I just threw up everything. I had a terrible stomach ache.’
After three days of non-stop vomiting, Olivia went to A&E at the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, where tests revealed her liver function was “out of whack” and required immediate treatment.
Olivia said: “The doctors told me my liver was in a very bad state and my kidneys were damaged from dehydration.
“They were very concerned about the liver results and concerned about the high incidence of hepatitis in Egypt. With all this they said it is very likely you have hepatitis. They were 99.9 percent sure I got it from the hotel.
“They were sure it was hepatitis and told me if my liver didn’t start to improve you would need an emergency liver transplant in Leeds, which was scary.
“I thought the worst in my head. It was a very scary time. No one could fully agree on a treatment plan. I felt very vulnerable.
“I was afraid I was going to die. I asked if I could go home and they said no, if you have an organ failure you won’t make it to Leeds, it was very serious.’
After three days in hospital, Olivia was discharged, but claims liver and kidney damage left her with joint pain and fatigue – with fears she may still need a transplant in the future.
Olivia said: “This was going to be the holiday we really needed and it turned into an absolute nightmare. It put me off package holidays. This was our first break from Covid – we really needed this break.
“This has turned into a holiday from hell for us. I have been referred to a liver specialist and it will be regular liver tests to see how it is.
“I’ve heard from other people that once you have liver damage, it can get worse out of nowhere. So I might end up needing a liver transplant if things go downhill again.”
A spokesperson for easyJet Holidays said: “We are truly sorry to hear about this customer’s experience and are proactively addressing their complaints now that they have been brought to our attention.
‘Our priority is to support our customers throughout their experience, from the booking process to the return home, and we want nothing more than to provide a great holiday.’