‘It was a nightmare’: Dozens of Canadians hit hard by vomiting, diarrhea after trip to Mexican hotel

Dozens of Canadians returning from one hotel in Mexico are complaining of painful symptoms when they got back to Canada.

Dozens of Canadians are coming back from a stay at a Mexican resort complaining of vomiting, cramps and stomach pain—some being hospitalized—as they and their doctors complain of an outbreak of what appears to be food-borne illness.

Kelly Bennett and her extended family travelled from Hamilton to the Royalton Splash Riviera in Cancun. She said they enjoyed a few days of sun and family fun, only to start “dropping like flies” on day three of their stay.

“We went down five, six at a time,” Bennett told CTV News in an interview, saying the illness spread quickly through others she saw at the resort.

“Many families were unwell, confined to their rooms. You could see it in the hallways, parents with children, towels that had been cleaned up—something was going around for sure."

The children in her group were bedridden or spent their days napping in towels on poolside furniture, Bennett said, while several adults barely left the bathroom. Her family’s diagnosis upon return to Canada was what her doctor described as food-borne parasites, as well as norovirus, a fast-spreading virus that often results in vomiting and diarrhea.

“My son is still not well,” she said. “He has parasites in his stool. The five of us have already provided 15 stool samples.”

One member of her group, who had to cancel an outing thanks to sickness, was given a non-disclosure agreement to keep quiet about the outbreak, Bennett said.

Warren Carriere and his girlfriend Nicole had a similar experience—although she was in hospital for several days after she got back to Vancouver Island, he said.

“It was a nightmare,” he said. “Vomiting, diarrhea, severe cramping, severe stomach pain, nausea, symptoms that you would relate to some sort of food-related sickness.”

Carriere said doctors got a positive test of E. coli in her case, a type of bacteria often connected to gastrointestinal pain and can spark food recalls in Canada.

A Facebook group of other travellers is getting more posts of people who complained of also getting sick upon arrival in February.

The resort did not respond to messages from CTV News.

Wayne Smith, of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, says the tensions between Cuba and the United States are pushing travellers to vacation more in Mexico.

“Last year, 2.8 million Canadians went to Mexico. And this January and February, there are big numbers. This is the type of news that they don’t want,” Smith said.

As for the non-disclosure agreements, Smith said he doubted they are enforceable as it’s arguable the person was under duress from a medical condition at the time it was signed.

“No court will enforce that,” he said, adding that people should have proper medical insurance when they travel, including insurance known as CFAR—cancel for any reason.

Infectious diseases specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch told CTV News these outbreaks happen from time-to-time and that it’s best for Canadians not to trust what they eat in Mexico the same way they might trust what they eat in Canada.

“We have an adage: boil it, peel it, cook it or forget it,” he said. “Some of the fresh produce may have bacteria or a virus on it that can cause gastrointestinal symptoms.”

Bennett said by the time they left the hotel, staff appeared to recognize the problem by their actions, if not their words.

“Now, when you enter buffets and the restaurants, the staff is there greeting you with hand sanitizer,” she said, adding some staff are wearing masks when speaking with guests.