Man Reveals Egyptian Holiday Hell

• News
• Published: 27 Oct 2009 in Travel and Travel Insurance

A man who was wrongly diagnosed as having swine flu has described how a planned romantic break to Egypt turned into a holiday from hell.

Travel insurance companies may be interested to know that Derrick Thomson was held in a hospital for five days after being caught out by heat detecting equipment upon his arrival at Sharm El Sheikh.

The equipment, used to screen anyone with a fever, detected that Mr Thomson's temperature was higher than normal.

The 46-year-old from Edinburgh said that wearing a sweater, combined with a 10-minute wait on the runway explained his high temperature.

Instead of enjoying a five-star hotel, Mr Thomson was made to stay in a nearby hospital, even though he showed no signs of having the virus. His girlfriend, Shona Simpson, visited him every day.

Mr Thomson, who works for the tourism body VisitScotland, told the Daily Record newspaper: "I kept telling them I was fine, but it made no difference."

After five days in a "filthy, awful" room at a hospital in the tourist hotspot earlier this month, Mr Thomson said he was handed a letter stating that he had been given the all-clear.

He said the approach by Egyptian authorities was "over the top" and would not return to the country.

Guidance published on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website says: "You may be asked to undergo further tests if you show flu-like symptoms, including high temperatures.

"If you have a high temperature and/or flu like symptoms, you should seek medical advice prior to travel to prevent problems on arrival in Egypt."