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An elderly couple from the United Kingdom on holiday in Egypt, fell ill and inexplicably died shortly thereafter. The couple was staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in Hurghada, Egypt in late-August 2018. According to the BBC, Sven Hirschler, senior director of corporate communications for Deutsche Hospitality, which owns the Steigenberger brand, said there was not an unusual level of illness among the 1,600 guests staying at the hotel. What the usual level of illnesses at the hotel was not indicated.
Thomas Cook was the tour provider for the British couple, and has recently been fined £26,000 (~US$34,000) in compensation and costs to a family struck down with a gastric illness at the same hotel in Egypt, the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel.
According to the Guardian (UK), “Thomas Cook moved more than 300 customers out of the hotel after the Coopers’ deaths, but said in a statement that it had audited the hotel in late July and it had received an overall score of 96%.”
As a barometer of the extent of the gastrointestinal illness at the hotel, guests are reporting that guests defecated on multiple occasions in the resort’s swimming pool.
The Independent (UK) advises that the symptoms described by returning guests and attributed to the Coopers, who died in August, lead them to believe that Shigella may have been to blame.
The Guardian continued, “So far, the Red Sea governorate, where the hotel is located, has said John Cooper had “a sudden failure in the heart muscle and respiratory failure”, while his wife died six hours later due to “a drop of blood circulation and respiratory functions with no criminal suspicions”. Egyptian authorities have sealed the room where Cooper died and Fankhauser is expected to press to gain access for Thomas Cook investigators.
Is it safe to travel to Egypt?
By and large, yes, with appropriate caveats. We advise to shy away from the Aqua Magic.
Until the cause of death for the Cooper’s has been determined, travelers should avoid travel to the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel, to determine whether or not the hotel’s infrastructure is compromised. The fact that Thomas Cook’s review of the kitchens and overall audit of the resort provided high marks is a positive, as gastrointestinal illness, also known as “Traveler’s Diarrhea” is not unique to any one locale, and could be attributed to any number of factors.
