British tourist vomited blood after contracting deadly parasite on all-inclusive TUI Riviera Maya holiday to Mexico

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The holidaymaker feared he was going to die after catching the bug from a meal cooked on his resort

A BRIT holidaymaker vomited blood after contracting a deadly parasite on an all-inclusive TUI break to Mexico.

Chris Gillian was on a special anniversary trip with his wife Marisa when he started to feel dizzy and rushed back to his room where he was violently sick.

 Chris Gillian was struck down with a parasitic infection called cyclospora on an all-inclusive TUI break to Mexico
Chris Gillian was struck down with a parasitic infection called cyclospora on an all-inclusive TUI break to Mexico
 He was on a special anniversary trip with his wife Marisa when he started to feel ill
He was on a special anniversary trip with his wife Marisa when he started to feel ill

The new dad was struck down with a parasitic infection called cyclospora, which he claims TUI failed to warn him about when he booked.

Cyclospora is usually caught from eating food contaminated with faeces.

Chris says he feared he was going to die after catching the bug from a meal eaten on his resort, which has not been named.

He is one of 400 tourists who all say they were struck down with the parasite over a three-year period.

Chris and Marisa booked two weeks abroad through TUI’s sister company First Choice.

CONTAMINATED WITH POO

In ITV’s Holidays: All-Inclusives Uncovered? Chris claims he started to feel ill a week into the holiday.

Chris said: “We went out for a meal on our first night and had a really nice time. But almost a week in, I’d woken up feeling funny.

“Me and my wife went and sat by the poolside and it started to get progressively worse, I started to get really bad headaches and feel really dizzy so we went back to the hotel room.

“I remember laying on the bed and I just had this sudden urge that I was going to throw up. I barely made it to the sink and just threw up what I can only describe as just blood.”

Chris was rushed to hospital where he was given painkillers and antibiotics to flush out the infection.

He remembers a doctor who couldn’t speak English repeating the word “parasite” while he was treated.

‘VIOLENTLY SICK’

Chris was discharged from the hospital after 24 hours but had to follow a restricted diet and drink no alcohol for the rest of the holiday.

Thankfully the couple’s insurance covered the thousands of pounds in medical fees.

Public Health England issued warnings about cyclospora but it’s claimed that TUI hadn’t told customers ahead of travel.

Instead they were given a letter giving advice based around personal hygiene and food preparation, even if they were on all-inclusive break where they’re unlikely to do any cooking.

But Chris says neither he or his wife were given the letter.

He now says he wants someone to “take responsibility” for his ruined holiday.

What is cyclospora?

Cyclospora is in infection of the bowel caused by a parasite called called Cyclospora cayetanensis.

The most common symptom is diarrhoea but sufferers can also experience weight loss, vomitting  and stomach cramps.

Cyclospora doesn’t usually pose a serious risk and can be easily treated using antibiotics.

Most people who caught the infection picked it up while on holiday to the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, south and east Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

It’s spread by eating food or drinking water contaminated with human poo carrying the parasite.

Chris said: “‘I want someone to take responsibility I want someone to hold their hands up and say yes we knew there was a problem but unfortunately we didn’t fix it that time, it’s as simple as that.

“I didn’t know what was happening to me. I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through.”

Lawyer Nick Harris is part of a firm representing Chris and hundreds of others who became ill after contracting cyclospora.

Mr Harris said: “There was a duty placed on TUI to tell customers before travelling to Mexico, the moment that they knew of an outbreak in the resort, something that was likely to affect people.

“If you imagine people who have for instance poor immune systems traveling to a resort like that and then succumbing to an illness like cyclospora, that’s dangerous.”

A statement provided by TUI to the programme said: “We’re sorry to hear of Mr Gillan’s experience. As this matter is now subject to legal proceedings it would be inappropriate to comment at this time.

“We’d like to reassure customers that we regularly audit all of the hotels we feature in respect of health and safety, including hygiene.”

Sun Online has contacted TUI for comment.

 Cyclospora is usually caught from eating food contaminated with faeces
Cyclospora is usually caught from eating food contaminated with faeces
 Chris says he feared he was going to die after catching the bug from a meal eaten on his resort
Chris says he feared he was going to die after catching the bug from a meal eaten on his resort
 He had to follow a restricted diet and drink no alcohol for the rest of the holiday
He had to follow a restricted diet and drink no alcohol for the rest of the holiday
 TUI sent customers a letter warning them of the bug when they arrived at their destinations
TUI sent customers a letter warning them of the bug when they arrived at their destinations