Recent news reports suggest that people going to the Canary Islands in Spain could be at higher risk of illnesses such as pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis due to a bacteria called Klebsiella pneumoniae.
The alert came after the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said that between January and April 2018, Sweden and Norway had reported 13 cases of travellers returning from holiday in the Canary Islands who were infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae. All of these cases were linked to visiting a hospital in the Canary Islands where it is likely the infection was picked up.
The ECDC states that the risk for travellers going to the Canary Islands is very low, especially if there is no contact with hospitals whilst travelling.
Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria are usually harmless, and only rarely do they cause pneumonia, sepsis (otherwise known as septicaemia or blood poisoning), or meningitis.
It’s important for everyone to know the symptoms of pneumonia, and meningitis and septicaemia.