A teacher and six minor students of British nationality suffered food poisoning during their stay at a hotel in Calafell. The symptoms manifested in the early morning of Monday, May 4, which forced the activation of local health protocols.
The group, composed of seven English tourists, experienced headache, general malaise, and stomach pains simultaneously. The speed with which the clinical pictures appeared alerted the staff of the hotel establishment where they were staying.
The investigation reconstructs the group's route
Technicians from the Agència de Salut Pública de Catalunya (Aspcat) have opened an investigation to determine the exact origin of the outbreak. The specialists interviewed the teacher to accurately trace the group's movements from their arrival on the 2nd to their planned departure on the 5th.
The itinerary included visits to beaches, tours of nearby cities, and a stay at PortAventura World. This exhaustive investigation seeks to identify whether the contamination occurred within the hotel or at any of the leisure spots visited during the excursion.
The Department of Health has not yet determined the source of the foodborne outbreak that affected the travelers. Health authorities are keeping all lines of investigation open to rule out any external or internal source of contagion.
Medical discharge and return to the United Kingdom
The seven affected individuals were transferred to a hospital center to receive preventive care. The medical protocol acted with speed to stabilize the patients and monitor their evolution during the critical hours following ingestion.
"They were discharged from the hospital after their favorable progress was confirmed" - Healthcare personnel from the reference hospital center
After overcoming the poisoning episode, the tourists were able to continue with their initial travel plans or return to their homes. All of them have now returned to the United Kingdom without apparent after-effects from the incident.
The situation was brought under control in the early hours of the morning, preventing the rest of the travel companions from presenting similar symptoms. The case is added to the routine checks that the Catalan administration carries out on food safety in areas with high tourist traffic.