E Coli On Holiday Then Beware Of The Beef!!

One of the most common causes of illness on holiday is the notorious beef illness, E. Coli 0157:H7.

The big problem with understanding E. Coli is that there are different types, some of which are completely harmless. The types that are accused of causing serious holiday illness go by lots of different names and abbreviations. Here are but a few:

Escherichia coli 0157:H7.
E-coli.
E coli.
E. coli.
E. coli Serotype 0157:H7.
Vero cytotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC).
Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (also called VTEC).
VTEC.
VTEC 0157.
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC).
EHEC.

While there may be many names and they may also sound quite technical what is important is avoiding harmful E. coli from beef while on holiday.

E. coli is most commonly found in minced beef or ground beef, beef burgers and hamburgers, unpasteurised milk, and some cheeses. The reason why minced beef is more likely to be dangerous than a steak or joint of beef is because E. coli 0157 only lives on the outside and cooking to temperatures up to 70c will kill the infectious form of the bacteria. With minced beef the bacteria can spread within, so raw beef burgers should be avoided.

Each year dozens of people make E.coli claims against holiday companies and tour operators and a likely source is beef, often served from buffets at all-inclusive hotels in places like, Egypt, Spain, Greece, The Dominican Republic, Turkey and Mexico. If the illness is serious just one beef burger can cause serious infection with symptoms such as diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting and fever.

Holiday lawyers advise customers to be wary of how food is stored in buffets. E. coli can grow in temperatures ranging between 7C and 50C with the optimum temperature being 37C. So if you are eating readily prepared beef do not eat it if you think it has been stored at room temperature. It should either be served hot or cold never in between.

If you think have beef E. coli on holiday it is vital that you see a doctor who can take stool samples. In the UK, your GP can arrange a sample where your sample will be tested for E. coli from beef whilst on holiday. A travel solicitor will be able to advise you whether you can make a claim arising out of your illness. If your holiday solicitor or holiday law firm has worked for one of the major tour operators they may have inside information that may help you make a successful claim against the tour operator for E.coli.