Family of British woman who died after contracting deadly stomach bug on holiday in Cape Verde issue warning

The family of a British woman who died after contracting a fatal stomach disease while on holiday in Cape Verde has issued a warning to other tourists.

Karen Pooley, 64, from Gloucestershire, fell ill during a two-week holiday to Cape Verde last October.

Miss Pooley’s older brother Keith has now told holidaymakers to ‘think before you book’ and make sure they have adequate insurance.

In total, six Britons have died from serious stomach diseases in Cape Verde since January 2023.

Keith told Sky News today: ‘One person [dying] Too many, how many more people will suffer if this continues?

‘I encourage people to think before booking. If you’re thinking of going, do lots of research and make sure you have adequate insurance.’

During her illness, Ms Pooley slipped in her hotel room and broke her leg.

She was rushed to a clinic and treated for four days before being flown to Tenerife, where she died the next day.

Jane Pressley, pictured with husband Michael, is one of six Britons to die from a stomach bug in Cape Verde.

His sister-in-law said he ‘lived his last few days on this Earth in pain’.

He added: ‘We are heartbroken. We still haven’t gotten over it. ‘I’m angry and I want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.’

Six Britons have passed away since January 2023, say specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell.

This includes Jane Pressley, a care assistant from Gainsborough who fell ill while staying in Santa Maria, Sal., on her dream holiday in November 2022.

The two-week holiday was arranged to celebrate Jane’s 62nd birthday, and during the two days she spent there she fell ill with stomach and flu-like symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea.

As his condition worsened after returning home, he was taken to Lincoln County Hospital on Christmas Eve, but sadly he died less than two weeks later on January 5, 2023.

An investigation into the 62-year-old’s death and five other deaths, four of which occurred between November 2024 and December 2025, is ongoing.

They include a part-time nurse from Birmingham, a freelance forklift driver from Bedfordshire, a charity worker from Gloucestershire, a man in his 60s and a 56-year-old man from Watford.

Part-time nurse and mother-of-one Elena Walsh (left) died in August 2025 after falling ill while staying at Riu Cabo Verde on the same island.

Mrs Walsh had flown to Cape Verde with her husband Patrick (left), their son Sean (right) and their daughter-in-law-to-be Gemma for a £5,000 Tui package holiday.

Cape Verde, an archipelago of ten islands in the Atlantic Ocean about 350 miles west of Senegal, has long been marketed as a sunny paradise with year-round warmth and golden beaches (stock)

The law firm says the latest deaths have brought into ‘sharp focus’ the number of British tourists falling ill in Cape Verde.

It is now representing more than 1,500 British holidaymakers who have suffered stomach upset linked to holidays in Cape Verde since 2022, including the families of six Britons who died.

All booked their holidays through tour operator TUI, which denied liability.

Specialist international serious injury lawyer Jatinder Paul, who represents families at Irwin Mitchell, said: ‘The number of holidaymakers who come to Cape Verde and develop serious and debilitating stomach diseases is truly staggering.

‘Nothing reveals the seriousness of this situation more clearly than these latest deaths.

‘In my experience, I am used to supporting holidaymakers who fall ill at resorts around the world, but I have never seen repeated and ongoing outbreaks of disease in the same resorts over such a long period of time.’

He continued: ‘It is almost incomprehensible that holidaymakers continue to describe hygiene problems in Cape Verde hotels, year after year.

‘Not every case is a statistic; A human story about how lives are turned upside down.

‘Understandably, those we represent have serious concerns about hygiene standards in Cape Verde.

‘While nothing can make up for what happened, we are determined to at least help get them the answers they deserve.’

Mr Paul added: ‘In the meantime, we call for meaningful and decisive action to tackle the hygiene problems reported on the islands.

‘Tour operators are responsible for ensuring the safety of those who book all-inclusive package holidays. We therefore call on them to work with the authorities to ensure that the highest standards of hygiene and safety are maintained at all times.’

The first High Court hearing will be held into claims for compensation for holidaymakers who fell ill in Cape Verde.

On Wednesday, February 4, a group action involving 300 Britons who contracted illnesses linked to their holidays at the Riu Palace Santa Maria in the summer of 2022 is scheduled to be heard in London.

The law firm says many other class actions involving British holidaymakers who fell ill in Cape Verde after booking through TUI are expected to be listed in the coming months.

This is breaking news and is being updated.