Mother says her daughters caught hand, foot and mouth on holiday

Mother’s horror as both her daughters catch hand, foot and mouth disease from a ‘dirty hotel in Majorca’

  • Danielle MacIntyre spent £3,000 on a seven-night break to the Club Mac hotel
  • She took her three-year-old daughter Nevah and five-month-old Milla with her
  • Nevah was struck down a rash after being in the Spanish resort for just five days
  • Milla also broke out in a tell-tale rash once she was back home in Glasgow 
  • A doctor then diagnosed the sisters with the viral infection that can cause a rash
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A mother has revealed her horror after both her daughters caught hand, foot and mouth disease on their first ever family holiday.

Danielle MacIntyre spent £3,000 on a seven-night break to the Club Mac hotel in Alcudia, Majorca, with children Nevah, aged three, and five-month-old Milla.

Nevah was struck down a rash after just five days in the Spanish resort – despite an onsite doctor being adamant that she was just dehydrated.

Milla also broke out in a rash once she was back home in Glasgow, and the sisters were then diagnosed with the viral infection by a doctor.

Ms MacIntyre, 25, claims she was unaware a warning had been in place about an outbreak of the viral infection at the Spanish resort since May.  


Danielle MacIntyre said her five-month-old daughter Milla (pictured) broke out in a rash back home in Glasgow, and the sisters were then diagnosed with the viral infection by a doctor


The 25-year-old (pictured) claims she was unaware a warning had been in place about an outbreak of the viral infection at the Spanish resort since May

Speaking about her trip on September 7, Ms MacIntyre said: ‘It was our first ever family holiday and all my family came including my mum.

‘I was already anxious to take the girls on holiday because I thought they would keep crying on the plane but they were actually great.

‘On day five, my eldest [Nevah] was sick and started to get cold symptoms. Her temperature was high and she had a runny nose – it was terrible.

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‘And when I approached the onsite doctor about it the following day he had said she was dehydrated.’

Ms MacIntyre, a care assistant, said she knew that was a ‘lot of nonsense’ because Nevah had drunk plenty of liquids during the trip.

But on the day the family was due to fly home, Nevah’s condition worsened, as she developed red spots all over her feet and hands.




Ms MacIntyre’s three-year-old daughter Nevah (pictured left and right while on holiday) was struck down a rash after just five days in the Spanish resort


Ms MacIntyre said: ‘On day five, my eldest [Nevah] was sick and started to get cold symptoms’ (Nevah’s rash is pictured while on holiday)


Milla (pictured) was left screaming in agony and was even rushed to hospital after fears her sores had become infected

WHAT IS HAND, FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE?

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a viral infection that causes lesions to form on a sufferer’s hands, feet and mouth.

It can also affect the buttocks and genitals.

The condition is not related to foot and mouth disease in animals.  

HFMD is usually not serious and does not require treatment, however, it can cause secondary infections if skin is scratched.

It is most common in children under 10, with outbreaks occurring at nurseries and schools. 

How can it be spread? 

  • Close personal contact, such as hugging an infected person
  • The air when an infected person coughs or sneezes
  • Contact with faeces, such as changing diapers of an infected person, then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth before washing your hands
  • Contact with contaminated objects and surfaces, like touching a doorknob that has viruses on it, then touching your eyes, mouth, or nose before washing your hands

Treatment focuses on adequate fluid intake, a soft diet and painkillers, if necessary.

Source: Patient.org and CDC

And once home, Ms MacIntyre, who is currently on maternity leave, noticed Milla also appeared unwell and with a rash also spreading all over her body.

Ms MacIntyre took her daughters to a doctor, who confirmed they both had hand, foot and mouth disease.

The viral infection – which can be caught from contaminated surfaces – affects children under 10 and causes spots to develop on the hands and feet.

Milla was left screaming in agony and was even rushed to hospital after fears her sores had become infected.

Ms MacIntyre has since been left furious as she discovered a warning has been in place about the hotel’s outbreak since May.

But she claims she was kept in the dark by her travel company, Jet2. She said: ‘I’m so gutted that this disease has ruined our holiday.

‘When I spoke to Jet2 about it, they said if there was an outbreak then people would have been given a choice to move hotel but I wasn’t given that choice.

‘It turns out there was warning letter on the Thomas Cook desk regarding the disease but since my holiday was with Jet2, I had no reason to go to the Thomas Cook desk.’

Ms MacIntyre added: ‘I know getting this disease is very possible but I just don’t get why we were not warned.

‘They obviously didn’t want to put it out there which is why they want to put it under wraps.


The viral infection – which can be caught from contaminated surfaces – affects children under 10 and causes spots to develop on the hands and feet (pictured is Milla)


A spokesman for Jet2 said: ‘We are aware of a small number of cases of hand, foot and mouth at the Club Mac Hotel in Alcudia’ (pictured is Milla)

‘My mum and her partner both work in health and they were not allowed back into work for a while because their workplace thought they may still be carrying it.

‘So from that they lost a couple days worth of earnings.’

A spokesman for Jet2 said: ‘We are aware of a small number of cases of hand, foot and mouth at the Club Mac Hotel in Alcudia.

‘We have briefed our team on how to spot and prevent the spread of the illness.

‘We would like to assure our customers that their health and safety is our number one priority.’

They added: ‘We work closely with all hotels to ensure that health and safety standards meet the very high requirements that we and our customers expect.’ 

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