A BRITISH tourist was left “terrified” and had to quarantine in hospital after returning home from holiday with a tropical virus.
Emma Cox, 27, visited Gili in Bali for 10 days before experiencing muscle and joint pain, a rash all over her body and a severe headache.
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She had not planned to return home to Nine Elms, south-west London, until August, but was forced to book an early flight on May 17 due to flu-like symptoms.
After calling 111, she was told to go straight to the emergency room – where she was quarantined by doctors.
Emma was told that she had contracted dengue fever after being bitten by a mosquito.
Tourists are most at risk when visiting parts of Africa, Asia, South America and the Pacific Islands.
But experts have warned that the fever is becoming more prevalent in parts of Europe – such as Croatia, Portugal and France.
Emma spent an hour in hospital and had to have blood tests – saying she felt “horrible” – and intends to get vaccinated before traveling again.
Emma, a content creator from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, said: “The virus gave me a rash that spread all over my body – I felt horrible and thought it would never go away.
“I almost felt like the doctors didn’t know exactly what to do about it – they saw it as a contagious tropical disease.
“I knew it was transmitted by mosquitoes, so I wasn’t too worried about infecting anyone else.”
Emma arrived on Gili – known as Indonesia’s “party island” – on May 6, 2024.
She works as a “digital nomad” and plans to spend a few weeks creating content for villages and beach clubs in the region.
But just five days later, she started feeling unwell – initially blaming the air conditioning.
“In my room, the window glass was cracked and there was a big hole in it,” she said.
“It looks so stupid, but I couldn’t see it because it was covered by a curtain.
“But every night while I was there, I woke up covered in bites.
“The only precaution I really took was spraying myself with bug spray.”
On May 11, Emma woke up with muscle and joint pain – as well as a burning sensation behind her eyes.
She felt exhausted but too restless to sleep, and her headaches made her wear sunglasses 24/7.
At first I blamed the air conditioning, then I really thought I had the flu
Emma Cox
She added: “At first I blamed the air conditioning.
“My next thought was, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to have to spend 23 hours flying home.’
“I really thought I had the flu and hoped it would go away quickly.”
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Emma booked a flight for May 17, and by then her symptoms had apparently disappeared.
She felt well enough to travel – and didn’t feel the need to see a doctor when she returned home to the UK.
“The symptoms are gone,” she said. “I was absolutely fine – I thought I should have got away with it.”
Emma was symptom-free for two days – but woke up on the third day to find a rash covering her body.
“It was so strange. I felt fine, but I woke up with bumps all over my body – I’d never seen anything like it,” she said.
“They were very itchy and kept spreading.
“My followers – many of whom have traveled across Asia – recognized it could be dengue and told me to call 111.”
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On May 21, Emma called the NHS helpline and was told to go straight to A&E.
Once she arrived and explained her symptoms, as well as mentioning that she had just returned from Bali, doctors told her she needed to isolate immediately.
They told him to stay in a room while they assessed his condition.
“They put me on an IV and together we created a complete timeline of every place I visited,” she said.
“I had blood tests for lots of things – like malaria and HIV.
“It seemed like they didn’t really know how to treat someone with dengue.
“I was there for an hour and was told that as it didn’t look life-threatening, I could go home.
“They checked on me with phone calls, once a day, for seven days.”
Dengue symptoms
Dengue is an infection transmitted by mosquitoes.
It is very common in certain parts of the world, such as parts of Africa, Asia, Central and South America, the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands, and some areas of North America.
But people traveling to parts of Europe are also at risk, including Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Portugal.
Dengue fever doesn’t always cause symptoms, but if you do have some, they usually appear four to ten days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
Symptoms are often similar to the flu and include:
- Fever
- Severe headache
- Pain behind the eyes
- Muscle and joint pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Generalized rash
- Abdominal pain
- Loss of appetite
- Swollen glands
Sometimes joint pain is so intense that it can feel like your bones are breaking. This earned dengue the nickname “breakbone fever”.
There is no cure or specific treatment, but patients can alleviate symptoms with painkillers, staying hydrated and resting.
In rare cases, dengue fever can become serious. When this happens, you may experience:
- Severe stomach pain
- Getting sick repeatedly
- Fast breathing
- Bleeding gums or nose
- Extreme tiredness
- Being unable to relax
- Blood in your poop or vomit
If you have these symptoms and have traveled to a country where there is dengue fever, call 999 or go to A&E.
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His rash went away on its own within eight days.
He was told to get the Qdenga vaccine – which protects against four strains of the virus – at his local private clinic.
Emma said: “I had a lot of vaccinations before going to Bali and Thailand.
“I was going back and forth to my family doctor and private clinics last year.
“Dengue is definitely a scary disease and I’m thinking about purchasing Qdenga for the next time I visit Bali.”
Dengue fever can cause joint pain so severe that it may feel like your bones are breaking.
This earned it the nickname “breakbone fever”.
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How to protect yourself against dengue
ALTHOUGH dengue is more common in tropical regions, it has been detected in locations closer to the UK.
There are certain measures you can take to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes carrying the virus.
- Wear long-sleeved clothing and pants to cover your arms and legs, especially in the early morning and early evening
- Use insect repellent on your skin (preferably one that contains the ingredient DEET)
- Close windows and doors whenever possible or use blinds or screens
- Sleep under an insecticide-treated mosquito net, even during the day
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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