A BRITISH tourist was booted from a TUI Canary Islands cruise over a suspected monkey pox scare – only to discover the real culprit was his kittens back in England.
James Scott, a 53-year-old hospital maintenance worker from Nottingham, was kicked off the cruise after medical staff grew worried that the rash on his skin was related to the deadly contagious virus.Â
Scott was removed from the cruise ship and taken to hospital, where he remained in isolation for around 48 hours while doctors assessed his condition.
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Tests ruled out monkey pox, confirming that he was suffering from ringworm, a common fungal infection that can be transmitted to humans by animals, especially cats and dogs.Â
In Scott’s case, the infection was traced to the two kittens he had recently adopted.
Scott had already been diagnosed by his GP in England and was taking oral medication for the infection.
His condition worsened due to cabin pressure on the flight to Tenerife and he sought help from the ship’s doctor shortly after boarding to make sure everything was under control.
The doctor mistakenly suspected monkey pox.Â
After his two days stint in hospital in Fuerteventura, Scott was allowed to continue his holiday and rejoin the ship.Â
However, the incident left Scott embarrassed and he had to fork out an additional £5,000 for travel complications, on top of the £2,500 he paid for the cruise.
He said he informed the cruise company the day before the departure date and asked if he and his partner could postpone their trip by a few weeks to allow the infection to settle.
They were told they would lose the £2,500 they had paid for the voyage if they chose not to travel.
TUI said it followed all required health and safety protocols and noted that Scott did not have an official fit?to?fly certificate, which may be required when someone has a visible medical condition.
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