Last updated at 16:01, Friday, 20 November 2009

A MARYPORT family’s dream holiday turned into a nightmare when their five-year-old daughter was thrown into a cockroach-infested hospital because authorities suspected she had swine flu.

Nightmare holiday: The Briscoe family from Church Street, Maryport, from left: grandmother Josephine Hills, aunt Jean Davidson, Holly Briscoe, five, mum Caroline Briscoe and dad Stephen Briscoe

Caroline and Stephen Briscoe, of Church Street, travelled to Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt with daughter Holly, Caroline’s mother Josephine Hills and Josephine’s aunt Jean Davidson.

As they walked through the airport on arrival two men in white coats grabbed Holly and began hauling her away.

Mr Briscoe started yelling but the men, who spoke no English, just repeated “swine flu”.

An interpreter was found and said that she had been identified by a heat seeking device as having a temperature.

Her temperature was 38.2 compared to the normal 37, although her parents said she had just come off the plane into the heat of the Egyptian airport and was still wearing a jersey. She had been eating well and was excited about her holiday and exhibited no sign of flu.

Mr Briscoe had to insist that both parents accompany her, and the three were put into an ambulance and driven 50 miles to a hospital.

They had to share a room with an Italian man and his daughter who had been given a single bed to share.

Twenty-four hours after arriving in the country and after watching their daughter being forcibly medicated with drugs they could not identify, the family were given their first meal.

“We had to literally beg them for bottles of water,” Mr Briscoe said.

The family were given two single beds and the ward had a shower and a sink but neither had running water.

The place was filthy, electric sockets dangled from walls and there were cockroaches up the walls and on the floor.

Mr Briscoe rang the British Consulate but was told there was nothing it could do.

He said it was not until a holiday representative visited another person that they received any help.

“She went out and bought pizzas and sandwiches and drinks for all of us including the Italian father and daughter. I don’t know her surname but she was our hero,” said Mrs Briscoe.

The couple said that the Egyptian authorities had plucked one child off each plane as part of swine flu checks. Meanwhile Mrs Hills and Miss Davidson were stuck at their hotel not sure about what was happening.

The Briscoes were finally released from hospital five days after arriving. The final release was as quick and dramatic as the admittance.

“They told us to get packed because a taxi was coming and that was it,” said Mr Briscoe.

The couple were able to enjoy the last week of their holiday, but the family, who returned home last week, said they would never go back.

First published at 19:22, Thursday, 19 November 2009
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk