Tourism Threatened in Turks & Caicos over Sickness Outbreak

Officials in the Turks and Caicos Islands are currently investigating and attempting to contain an outbreak of sickness in resorts on the island of Providenciales. So far the source of the diarrhea and vomiting in some resorts has not yet been identified but samples have been sent to the US for testing.

The government said that the Ministry of Health and the Environmental Health Department are working with the TCI Health Surveillance Team, Hotel Association and Tourist Board to address the situation which could impact the islands tourism product.

“Public health teams are assessing, identifying and reporting on the situation utilizing Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) and Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) guidelines. Their top priority is to protect the public as well as the tourism industry from any further illness by containing any outbreak,” officials stated in a government release.

“Public health professionals are working with hoteliers to gather data on the number of cases and to determine if there is any common cause. Samples have already been sent to a laboratory for investigation in the US and results are currently awaited.  As a precaution, refresher hygiene training courses for all hotel staff are being arranged.”

People experiencing diarrhea, abdominal pain or vomiting are being told to report to their nearest health care facility and that the surveillance team will be interviewing people experiencing symptoms in order to help pinpoint the source of the outbreak.