The risk of getting sick is highest in these holiday countries

Diarrhea, fever or a tropical virus? Of course nobody wants to get sick while on vacation. In some countries, however, the risk of this is particularly high.

There are countries where holidaymakers are more likely to catch salmonella or a virus than others. The Forbes “Holiday Sickness Index 2023” shows which countries pose the most risks for travelers.

The index was created from a wealth of data: First, technology experts searched around 2.4 million posts in travel forums for keywords such as salmonella or food poisoning. Recommended vaccinations and the risk of malaria were also checked for the most popular travel destinations.

The American health center (CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) also issues recommendations for drinking water in various holiday countries, which were also included in the study.

Finally, each holiday destination was evaluated using these criteria in a point system, with a maximum of 100 points that could be achieved – this resulted in a list of the 25 worst travel destinations in terms of illnesses.

According to the index, only holiday destinations outside of Europe ended up in the top negative places:

White sandy beaches, clear water and vibrant nightlife: This is actually why tourists come to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. But the index shows that almost ten percent of all users in travel forums complain about vacation-related nausea.

In addition, experts advise vaccinations against hepatitis A and tetanus, further vaccinations should at least be considered. The risk of malaria is still low, but cannot be ruled out and the tap water should not be drunk.

Sharm El Sheikh is particularly popular with divers, but also offers plenty of shopping opportunities and many five-star hotels. But again, there were more than 6,000 posts on travel forums (nearly 11 percent of all posts) related to illnesses like food poisoning.

Poliomyelitis and tetanus vaccinations are recommended here. Drinking tap water should also be avoided at all costs.

“Sal” actually means “salt” and is considered one of the most popular islands of Cape Verde. No wonder, since there are around 350 days of sunshine a year, beautiful beaches and only a small time difference. But: more than eleven percent of all visitors also complain about unexpected illnesses.

Hepatitis A and tetanus are recommended vaccinations – and even if the risk of malaria is low, prevention tablets should be taken. And the same applies here: the tap water should not be drunk.

Even if many tropical diseases do not exist in Europe, the water is often of good quality and the overall health care is very good, there are also some countries with an increased risk of disease. However, as can be seen from the index score, this risk is negligible compared to the top 3 worldwide.

Numerous skyscrapers, a huge beach and a second home for many Britons: That is Benidorm. But in the vacation sickness ranking, the city on the east coast of Spain made it into a questionable first place in Europe.

4.5 percent of all posts in travel forums are about food poisoning and other illnesses. Nevertheless: Tap water is considered safe and vaccinations are not generally recommended.

London is one of the most popular cities in Europe – especially for short trips. But even those can quickly end badly if you fall ill in the British capital. And apparently that’s not all that unlikely.

Because although the UK has strict food hygiene laws and drinking water is considered clean, more than 2.7 per cent of all traveler forum posts are related to illness.

Sunny Beach in Bulgaria is located directly on the Black Sea – and lives up to its name with a five kilometer long, wide sandy beach.