What is amoebic dysentery?

Caused by an amoeba called Entamoeba Histolytica, Amoebic Dysentery is a gut infection, which often causes severe diarrhoea.  An amoeba is a parasite found in contaminated food and drink, and it enters the body through the mouth when the infected food is swallowed. The amoeba then moves through the digestive system and takes up residence in the gut and causes infection. The most dangerous amoeba is Entamoeba Histolytica which normally lives in tropical regions. This potentially life-threatening species can burrow through the gut wall and spread to the liver, lungs and even to the brain.

Could I contract amoebic dysentery as a holiday illness?

Entamoeba Histolytica can exist in two forms in contaminated food and drink, either as free amoebae or as infective cysts, which are a group of amoebae, which have been passed in the carrier´s faeces. If you swallow contaminated food which contains free amoebae, there are not usually any adverse symptoms, as the amoebae normally dies when it hits the acid in the stomach. Cysts, however are usually resistant to the acid in the stomach, and usually result in infection. Once the cysts reach the gut, individual amoebae are released and result in infection.

Amoebic dysentery is passed on by careless or negligent hygiene practices, where contaminated food and drink is consumed without adequate heat treatment.  Salads washed in contaminated water are also a common source of infection.  If you have suffered amoebic dysentery on a cruise ship in the Dominican Republic, Egypt or The Caribbean, or on a holiday package tour, you may be able to claim compensation from your holiday tour operator when you return to the UK. Contact a personal injury solicitor when you get back to the UK, who will explain your rights regarding holiday illness compensation.  Tour operators are not above the law, and they have a responsibility to ensure your well-being and safety when you are on holiday abroad, to avoid illness such as amoebic dysentery.

What are the symptoms of amoebic dysentery?

The problem with amoebic dysentery is that you may not notice any symptoms for a long period of time after contracting the illness. Infected people, however, still excrete cysts, which infects their surroundings, even though their own symptoms may not show for months. When amoebae attack the gut wall, they damage the large intestine, which causes ulcers and bleeding.  Milder symptoms include stomach cramps, and the painful passage of stools and slimy diarrhoea. If the amoebae break through the intestinal wall and its lining, this can result in peritonitis. Serious illness can be caused if the amoebae are transported via the blood to the liver and other major organs, which can increase body temperature and can form dangerous cysts which can go unnoticed for long periods of time.

How to avoid amoebic dysentery and how to claim holiday illness compensation

To help avoid contracting amoebic dysentery on holiday or in the UK, make sure everything you eat and drink has been sterilised and cooked properly.  Drinking water can only be made completely safe by boiling it for 15 minutes and cooling it rapidly, keeping it covered at all times, or by adding purifying tablets to the water and leaving it to stand for 15 minutes before using. Chemical methods of sterilisation , however don´t guarantee the destruction of all harmful organisms, and to keep completely safe on holiday, particularly to third world countries, avoid foods such as salads, unpeeled fruit and ice cream which  have been prepared/served by somebody else.  Avoid ice cubes which may have been made with unsterilised water.

Holiday illness including amoebic dysentery is becoming more common in holiday package hotels and on board cruise ships in Egypt, Spain, The Dominican Republic, Turkey, France, Portugal, Malta, Greece, Italy and worldwide.  If your holiday illness was caused by the negligence of someone else, or by the bad hygiene practices in your holiday package hotel or cruise ship, you can claim holiday illness compensation when you get back to the UK.  Contact a personal injury solicitor who will work on a no win no fee basis and get you the compensation you deserve for loss of enjoyment of your holiday or personal injury.

The diagnosis of amoebic dysentery

If your holiday illness symptoms include bloody diarrhoea, you should see a doctor as soon as possible.  Notify your doctor where you have been travelling as amoebic dysentery is most common in the Tropics. A diagnosis can normally be made by analysing your stool, and if complications exist, an ultrasound may be needed to confirm the diagnosis. Bloody diarrhoea can be present in other illnesses, but is particularly common in sufferers of amoebic dysentery.

Treatment for amoebic dysentery and holiday compensation claims for illness

Amoebic dysentery is treated with Metronidazole ( Flagyl tablets).  If complications occur, however, including abscesses on the body´s organs, specialist hospital treatment may be necessary. If you suffer from bloody diarrhoea or suffer similar illness on holiday in The Tropics and cannot get to a doctor, in an emergency, you can treat yourself with Metronidazole although you should always seek medical advice where possible. Metronidazole is never to be taken however if pregnant or breastfeeding. It is possible to ask your own doctor to write a prescription for Metronidazole in advance if you know that you will be travelling to remote tropical areas where access to a doctor or hospital may be difficult. This type of prescription, however would have to be issue privately, which means you would need to pay the full cost of the drug to your pharmacy.  Holiday illness such as amoebic dysentery can cause serious illness or death when not treated in time. 

If you think you have suffered unnecessarily as the result of negligence in your holiday hotel or on your cruise ship in The Dominican Republic, Egypt, Turkey, Spain, Malta, Germany, France, Portugal, or in any worldwide destination, contact Farnworth Rose Personal Injury Solicitors on your return to the UK.  We can help you get compensation for holiday illness and the loss of enjoyment of your holiday.  Contact us free for a free claim assessment on 080001 54321 or fill in the online claim form.  We are specialists in holiday illness and accident compensation claims.

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