More than a thousand cases among travellers: Cabo Verde under pressure over shigellosis and the blow to tourism
Cabo Verde, an island state off the west coast of Africa that has recorded strong tourism growth in recent years, is facing a serious reputational and health challenge after European health institutions confirmed more than a thousand confirmed and possible cases of shigellosis and other gastrointestinal infections in travellers who returned from that destination. This is an issue that has grown from a local health matter into an international problem for the tourism sector, because the cases are linked to travellers from European Union countries, the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. While epidemiologists and public health services are trying to determine the source of the infection, the authorities of Cabo Verde are simultaneously trying to limit the damage to the country's image, claiming that an distorted picture of the safety of the destination is being created in the international media.
The latest assessment by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control shows that cases are still being reported, which means that the health problem has not been concluded and cannot be treated as an isolated incident. According to that assessment, by mid-March 2026 the source of the infection had still not been identified, but the available data point to the possibility of transmission through food and/or water. The Santa Maria area on the island of Sal stands out in particular, where European authorities assess that there is still a moderate risk of new infections among travellers. This is precisely why this story carries weight that goes beyond the framework of ordinary seasonal travel warnings: it is not just about individual cases of digestive problems, but about an ongoing public health event that raises questions about sanitary oversight, hotel standards, transparency of communication, and the resilience of the tourism industry to crisis situations.
What has been confirmed so far
European and British health institutions have gradually intensified warnings related to travel to Cabo Verde over recent months. The United Kingdom published data as early as the beginning of February on a rise in cases of Shigella and Salmonella among travellers returning from that destination, and health authorities stressed that a large share of the confirmed cases was linked precisely to travel to the archipelago. Subsequently, the ECDC published a broader epidemiological picture, according to which by March 2026 more than a thousand confirmed and possible cases of shigellosis and other gastrointestinal infections had been recorded in returnees from Cabo Verde. Such a figure is important not only because of the absolute number of people who fell ill, but also because it shows that the problem is not limited to one country, one tour operator, or one health system, but is being recognised across a series of countries that monitored those who became ill after returning from travel.
According to the available epidemiological information, a larger share of the reported illnesses is linked to stays in the same chain of all-inclusive hotels in the Santa Maria region on the island of Sal. This does not mean that the source of the infection has been officially and definitively located in one facility or one supply chain, but it points to a pattern that narrows the search area for health investigators. For now, there is no final answer as to whether this is primarily a matter of contaminated water, food handling, surface hygiene, cross-contamination within the hospitality system, or a combination of several factors. It is precisely this uncertainty that further complicates the position of the tourism sector, because without a clear cause it is not possible to offer a fully convincing guarantee that the risk has been brought under control.
In the same period, British institutions and travel health services warned travellers to pay attention to hand hygiene, water safety, and food choice. Recommendations include consuming well heat-treated meals, avoiding ice and products prepared with unsafe water, as well as being cautious with ready-made food, salads, unwashed fruit, and other products that can easily become contaminated. Such warnings are generally issued when there is a realistic assessment that this is a permanent or recurring risk, rather than a sporadic wave of illness that has already ended.
Why shigellosis is serious even though it is often perceived as a “stomach virus”
In public discourse, gastrointestinal infections are often simplistically described as food poisoning or a short-term viral illness, but shigellosis is a bacterial infection that can be significantly more serious than a passing digestive upset. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Shigella is a bacterium that causes diarrhoea, often accompanied by fever, abdominal pain, and the urge to have a bowel movement even when the intestines are empty. Symptoms usually appear one to two days after exposure, and diarrhoea can be prolonged or bloody. Most patients recover, but for older people, small children, pregnant women, immunocompromised patients, and people with underlying illnesses, complications can be serious.
Experts additionally warn that this is a pathogen that spreads relatively easily, because a small number of bacteria is sufficient for infection. That is precisely why epidemiologists devote special attention to hand hygiene, water, sanitary conditions, and food preparation. When such an infection is linked to a popular tourist destination with a large number of hotel guests and intensive traveller traffic, the public health risk also acquires a cross-border dimension. The problem then is not just a local incident, but a source of secondary cases upon returning home, additional laboratory testing, strain on health systems, and the spread of concern among future travellers.
European assessments also warn of this, stating that further transmission in the countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area cannot be ruled out. In other words, every new trip to an area where the source of the infection has not been clarified potentially opens the door to additional imported cases. In tourism terms, this is especially sensitive, because modern travel implies the rapid circulation of people between destinations and home markets, so a health incident very quickly turns into international news with business consequences.
The government of Cabo Verde rejects claims of a formally declared outbreak
While European and British health institutions warn of a large number of cases among returnees, the government of Cabo Verde has on several occasions rejected claims that an outbreak of Shigella has been officially declared on the territory of the country. In joint appearances and statements by representatives of the executive authorities, it is emphasised that the country has not received a formal international notification that would explicitly designate Cabo Verde as the source of an epidemiological event in the sense of an officially declared epidemic. The Minister of Tourism and Transport, José Luís Sá Nogueira, has meanwhile said that the country is safe, reliable, and ready to receive new guests, while claiming that isolated public health incidents can happen in any country.
Such a position has a clear political and economic logic. Cabo Verde relies heavily on international tourism, and a prolonged association of the country with a serious health problem could lead to cancelled arrangements, changes in the behaviour of tour operators, higher insurance costs, and a lasting blow to the perception of the destination. At the same time, however, a firm rejection of claims about the problem also carries a communication risk. When international public health institutions warn of more than a thousand cases linked to returns from the same destination, the public expects a visible, transparent, and convincing investigation, and not just the defence of the national image. In crises of this kind, trust is not built solely by the message that the destination is safe, but also by a detailed explanation of which measures have been taken, what has been found, what has still not been clarified, and how the risk is being reduced in practice.
It is precisely this gap between international warnings and national defensive rhetoric that is one of the key elements of the current story. On the one hand, there are laboratory-confirmed and epidemiologically linked cases in multiple countries. On the other hand, there is a government that warns that one must not lightly speak of a formally declared national outbreak without the appropriate technical and diplomatic procedure. These two levels are not necessarily completely irreconcilable, but for the ordinary traveller and for the tourism market the difference often remains blurred: what travellers see is a series of illnesses, health warnings, and media reports linking the disease to holidays in Cabo Verde.
Tourism growth turns a health problem into an economic risk
The timing of this crisis is particularly sensitive because Cabo Verde has entered a period of strong tourism ascent. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics, the country recorded record results in 2024, with approximately 981 thousand tourists, or more than 1.17 million hotel guests, depending on the methodology used to track arrivals and hotel accommodation. The island of Sal meanwhile remains the most important tourism centre and the main driver of the sector. This means that every piece of news that calls health safety into question precisely on Sal, and especially in Santa Maria, directly strikes the heart of the country's tourism model.
For small island economies, the reputation of the destination is often just as important as physical infrastructure. One strong negative narrative, especially if it mentions international health warnings, fatalities, collective lawsuits, or doubts about hygiene standards, can have a longer-lasting effect than the epidemiological episode itself. In that sense, the current case is no longer just a health incident, but also a test of crisis management for the state, tourist boards, hotel chains, and travel organisers. The key question is whether the destination can convince the market that it has the capacity for rapid problem detection, cooperation with international institutions, and the implementation of corrective measures.
The story is given additional weight by earlier reports of similar problems among travellers who stayed in Cabo Verde. Travel health services in the United Kingdom remind that in 2022 there was also an outbreak of Shigella linked to travel to this archipelago. When a similar pattern of disease appears again in the same destination within a span of several years, it is logical that the question arises as to whether this is a deeper, structural problem in certain parts of the tourism system or a series of unrelated incidents that only statistically ended up under the same spotlight. Without the final findings of the investigation, there is still no unambiguous answer to that, but the mere fact that a comparison with earlier cases is already imposing itself says enough about the level of concern.
What health authorities recommend to travellers
Current recommendations to travellers are mostly aimed at reducing risk through basic but strictly consistent hygiene measures. The ECDC and British health services advise eating well-cooked and hot-served food, avoiding products that may be prepared with unsafe water, ice, raw salads, and unwashed fruit or vegetables, and paying special attention to washing hands before eating and after using the toilet. Travellers are also advised, in the event of more severe symptoms, especially if bloody diarrhoea occurs, to seek medical help and, after returning home, to mention recent travel so that diagnostics can be faster and more precise.
These recommendations in themselves are not unusual for a number of destinations around the world, but in the case of Cabo Verde their tone and frequency in recent months show that health institutions are monitoring the situation with heightened attention. It is also important that the warnings do not relate only to the behaviour of tourists during travel, but also to conduct after returning. This confirms that the public health interest is aimed not only at protecting the individual on holiday, but also at preventing additional spread of infections in the countries from which travellers come.
At the same time, official British travel advice for Cabo Verde also reminds travellers of the limitations of local health infrastructure compared with the standards that some European travellers expect. In normal circumstances, such a note does not have to carry great significance, but in the context of the current wave of infections it gains additional weight. When a destination is already suffering a blow of reputational risk because of diseases linked to food and water, every doubt about the speed and quality of the medical response increases uncertainty among travellers and their families.
A broader problem than one tourist season
The Cabo Verde case shows how closely tourism, public health, and international perception are interconnected today. In a period when tourism markets strongly depend on social networks, portals, warnings from public services, and travellers' experiences, negative news does not remain long within the borders of one country. If, in addition, the impression arises that the authorities are reacting defensively rather than investigatively and transparently, the damage can deepen even before the epidemiological investigation gives a final answer. On the other hand, a premature equation of all reported cases with one unequivocally confirmed local epidemic can also lead to additional confusion if all the details of the transmission chain have not yet been officially clarified.
That is precisely why the coming weeks will be crucial for the credibility of all actors involved. Health institutions will have to answer more precisely the question of where and how transmission is occurring, the tourism sector will have to show which measures it has introduced on the ground, and the authorities of Cabo Verde will have to align the defence of the national image with the need for full transparency. For travellers and the market, what matters most is not the political formulation of whether something has been formally declared this way or that, but whether there is convincing evidence that the risk has been recognised, investigated, and brought under control. Until that happens, more than a thousand reported cases among returnees will remain a serious warning that health safety is not a secondary issue of tourism, but one of its fundamental conditions.
Sources:- ECDC – epidemiological notice on more than 1,000 confirmed and possible cases of shigellosis and other gastrointestinal infections among travellers who returned from Cabo Verde, with an assessment of moderate risk for the Santa Maria region on the island of Sal (link)- UK Health Security Agency – recommendations for travellers after the increase in Shigella and Salmonella cases linked to travel to Cabo Verde (link)- GOV.UK / FCDO – official travel guidance for Cabo Verde (link)- CDC – official data on the symptoms and mode of transmission of Shigella infection (link)- Lusa / statements by the authorities of Cabo Verde – rejection of claims of a formally declared Shigella outbreak and messages about the safety of the destination (link)- National Institute of Statistics of Cabo Verde and tourism reports – the country's record tourism results in 2024 (link)
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