THE average Spanish resident will spend between €500 and €1,500 on their holidays this year, with three in 10 set to increase their budget from last year and 16% reducing it.
Hundreds of passengers on German cruise ship catch stomach bug
09/10/2018
A STOMACH bug 'doing the rounds' led to 300 passengers on a German cruise ship being treated by doctors flown in from the central European country this week.
Several passengers started throwing up during a coach trip on the island of Mallorca as part of a their luxury Mediterranean cruise on board the Aida, and by the end of the day, 300 of them were suffering vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pains and fever.
Two doctors already on board ship on the Aida's 'floating hospital' found they could not cope, and several more had to be flown in from Berlin.
But even then, sick travellers were forced to queue for up to three hours to give their personal details and inform the management of their symptoms, then wait another five hours in bed for the doctor to come round.
Once there, the medics only had a few minutes to examine them, and simply gave them suppositories.
Given the risk of infecting hitherto healthy passengers, those affected were ordered to stay in their berths 'until further instructions were given'.
During that time, the cruise company handed out leaflets with hygiene recommendations and gave them bread and water.
Numerous passengers complained about the perfunctory treatment and eight-hour wait, but medics said that as it was a virus and not a bacteria, the only way to combat it was by consuming fluids to keep the patients hydrated, and that antibiotics would not help.
Their ship returned early to Palma de Mallorca and passengers were evacuated en masse to wait for their planes home whilst the ship was disinfected.
Meanwhile, several coaches were brought in to transport the passengers to a 'holding' unit in the city suburbs to wait for their airport transfers – and healthy travellers were mixed in with sick ones.
But several of them refused to stay for another minute and jumped on the first plane home they could find, even though it meant extra cost.
Despite the Aida company insisting the gastroenteritis outbreak was an isolated incident and that all hygiene measures had been taken, reports of another of its cruise ships being forced to dock in Rotterdam, The Netherlands two weeks earlier have come to light.
On this occasion, 70 passengers were infected with gastroenteritis.
In Spain, doctors treat this type of virus with anti-diarrhoea and anti-nausea medication and by administering a glucose and saline solution via intravenous drip, but Aida passengers say they were left with 'just bread and water', which 'went straight through them'.
Related Topics
You may also be interested in ...
A STOMACH bug 'doing the rounds' led to 300 passengers on a German cruise ship being treated by doctors flown in from the central European country this week.
Several passengers started throwing up during a coach trip on the island of Mallorca as part of a their luxury Mediterranean cruise on board the Aida, and by the end of the day, 300 of them were suffering vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pains and fever.
Two doctors already on board ship on the Aida's 'floating hospital' found they could not cope, and several more had to be flown in from Berlin.
But even then, sick travellers were forced to queue for up to three hours to give their personal details and inform the management of their symptoms, then wait another five hours in bed for the doctor to come round.
Once there, the medics only had a few minutes to examine them, and simply gave them suppositories.
Given the risk of infecting hitherto healthy passengers, those affected were ordered to stay in their berths 'until further instructions were given'.
During that time, the cruise company handed out leaflets with hygiene recommendations and gave them bread and water.
Numerous passengers complained about the perfunctory treatment and eight-hour wait, but medics said that as it was a virus and not a bacteria, the only way to combat it was by consuming fluids to keep the patients hydrated, and that antibiotics would not help.
Their ship returned early to Palma de Mallorca and passengers were evacuated en masse to wait for their planes home whilst the ship was disinfected.
Meanwhile, several coaches were brought in to transport the passengers to a 'holding' unit in the city suburbs to wait for their airport transfers – and healthy travellers were mixed in with sick ones.
But several of them refused to stay for another minute and jumped on the first plane home they could find, even though it meant extra cost.
Despite the Aida company insisting the gastroenteritis outbreak was an isolated incident and that all hygiene measures had been taken, reports of another of its cruise ships being forced to dock in Rotterdam, The Netherlands two weeks earlier have come to light.
On this occasion, 70 passengers were infected with gastroenteritis.
In Spain, doctors treat this type of virus with anti-diarrhoea and anti-nausea medication and by administering a glucose and saline solution via intravenous drip, but Aida passengers say they were left with 'just bread and water', which 'went straight through them'.
Related Topics
You may also be interested in ...
More News & Information
SPAIN'S State post office has launched a new solution for passing travellers who do not want to lug their suitcases around: Lockers for bags are now provided, with prices depending upon weight.
IF YOU'RE in the Comunidad Valenciana any time between now and the early hours of March 20, you may notice an awful lot of noise and colour on the streets. It's the season for the region's biggest festival,...
SPANISH national low-cost airline Vueling has announced numerous extra flights this summer, increasing frequency and destination choice for 2024.