I’m a GP - these are the holiday mistakes most likely to put you in hospital

Many of us count down the days until we can go on a summer holiday. But how can we keep ourselves safe and healthy while travelling to avoid a dream holiday turning into a nightmare?

Here, Dr Arpit Srivastava, a GP based in Oxfordshire and co-founder of messageGP, explains the most common errors people make on holiday which could lead to needing medical treatment.

Tucking into the hotel buffet

I commonly see people getting food poisoning from hotel buffets. If they travel further afield to places such as Asia, it tends to come from consuming street food or unsafe water.

At buffets, cooked meat, fish and poultry are left out and if it falls to room temperature it isn’t hot enough to keep bacteria away and they start to thrive again as it cools down. Commonly, the types of bacteria causing food poisoning are Campylobacter and E. coli. Additionally, some cheeses and dairy products also have the potential to go off if they’re not cold enough.