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Ringworm scare ruins Brit's Canary Islands cruise
Man kicked off TUI ship after kitten infection mistaken for Mpox
A relaxing Canary Islands cruise turned into a nightmare for James Scott, a 53-year-old hospital maintenance worker from Nottingham. What started as a £2,500 holiday with his partner became a £5,000 ordeal when his ringworm infection was mistaken for Mpox (monkeypox), leading to his removal from the TUI ship.Scott had adopted two kittens before the trip and caught the common fungal skin infection from them. His GP diagnosed it, gave him oral medication and a doctor's note. The day before departure, he called TUI to disclose the condition and ask about postponing for a few weeks until it cleared. "I’d asked TUI if we could postpone the trip to another sailing in three weeks time but they said I either go or lose all that money," he explained. "I wasn’t asking to cancel for a refund and was only hoping for some compassion to give me time to recover for the sake of others."
Flying to Tenerife, cabin pressure made his blisters leak and look worse. Soon after boarding the cruise at the Canary Islands port, he saw the ship's doctor as a precaution. Staff suspected Mpox, a contagious virus spread by close contact, and followed protocol by removing him from the vessel.
Cruise lines must act fast in shared spaces to protect thousands of passengers.
Scott spent 48 hours in hospital isolation for tests. Doctors confirmed ringworm, not Mpox, which causes rashes and flu-like symptoms but poses low risk in the Canaries (fewer than 200 cases since the 2022 outbreak, mostly mild). Ringworm shows circular rashes and blisters from animal contact but isn't viral.
Cleared to go, he flew an hour to Fuerteventura to rejoin the ship and finish the itinerary. Still, the embarrassment lingered. "I’ve never been so embarrassed. I’m probably £5,000 out of pocket," he said. "The whole experience was an absolute disaster from start to finish."
TUI stated they followed all health and safety protocols. They noted Scott lacked an official fit-to-fly certificate, often needed for visible conditions during recovery from infections.
Image: wikicommons
