Since March, almost 70 people have reported becoming 'violently' ill while on vacation in the Dominican Republic, according to iwaspoisoned.com - a website that tracks food-borne illness outbreaks.

Essentially, this means that the last three months have seen 60 more reported illnesses on the island than in the entire year of 2018.

The dramatic rise, which began in March, has peaked this month - just 11 days in - as a staggering 52 tourists reported having diarrhoea, fever and vomiting in June alone.

Worryingly for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana, over 45 of these guests noted that they had been guests at this particular resort.

Other hotels which guests reported having stayed at when they fell ill, include Vista Sol Punta Cana Beach, Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana and Iberostar Bavaro in Punta Cana.

Tragically, six people have died in the last few months while staying at luxury resorts in the Caribbean country.

"People report food-borne illnesses but it’s possible that they experienced some other type of contamination," said Patrick Quade, founder of iwaspoisoned.com, adding that he had consulted with scientists with regards to the findings.

"We started to see unusual activity in April when six people reported being ill on the island, but in June it exploded," Quade added.

One of the experts Quade consulted was Lee-Ann Jaykus, a food microbiologist in the department of food science at North Carolina State University.

Jaykus noted that being exposed to organophosphate, an insecticide chemical, could lead to acute vomiting and diarrhoea - but in more extreme cases it could trigger a 'cardiac crisis'.

Some of the ill guests were reportedly told by US medics that their symptoms were, indeed, likely caused by chemicals found in insecticides.

At least three of the deaths which occurred at the island's resorts were caused by pulmonary edema and respiratory failure.

The FBI is currently investigating the recent outbreaks.

Here's a very simple reminder that you may want to leave that pork chop on the grill for a few minutes longer.

A doctor has taken to social media to share a concerning scan photo of a woman's legs, before asking his followers what they thought the diagnosis could be.

Describing the image as "one of the craziest CT scans he's ever seen", Sam Ghali, M.D. - who boasts more than 630,000 followers on X - shared the image of a female patient's legs.

However, white blotches could be seen all over the scan image, leading to concerns from followers.

After giving people 24 hours to guess what they thought the answer could be, Dr. Ghali revealed that the patient in question had been suffering from Cysticercosis, which he explained is the "infamous parasitic infection caused by ingestion of larval cysts of Taenia Solium, also known as: Pork Tapeworm".

The National Organisation for Rare Disorders explains that "cysticercosis arises from the ingestion of the pork tapeworm’s eggs through fecal-oral contamination, and involves the development of cysts throughout the body, but not in the intestinal tract".

Dr. Ghali explained in his follow-up tweet that "after the eggs are ingested (humans or pigs) they release larvae which penetrate the intestinal wall and invade into the bloodstream (via mesenteric venules) and from there can spread to literally anywhere in the entire body."

The most common areas of the body, according to Dr. Ghali, are the "brain, eyes, subcutaneous tissues, and skeletal muscles".

Wherever the larvae end up, they form cysts known as cysticerci.

The scan in the tweet shows the body's natural inflammatory response to the cysticerci - which kills them off and causes calcification, known as "rice grain calcifications" due to their appearance.

What's terrifying is what Dr. Ghali wrote next: "What can be really bad is when the larvae end up traveling up to the brain and form cysts in actual brain tissue. This specific condition is known as neurocysticercosis. It can lead to headaches, confusion, seizures, and other serious neurologic problems."

The NORD adds that the condition "can affect anyone at any age and affects males and females in equal numbers".

The organization adds that, in most cases, cysticercosis is benign and patients won't need treatment. However, there are medications for those who do.

The World Health Organization adds that neurocysticercosis (NCC) can lead to epileptic seizures. According to WHO, Taenia solium is reportedly the cause of "30% of epilepsy cases in many endemic areas where people and roaming pigs live in close proximity."

Additionally, "in high-risk communities, it can be associated with as many as 70% of epilepsy cases."

"The treatment for cysticercosis located within the nervous system (neurocysticercosis) consists of antiparasitic therapy, corticosteroids, antiepileptic drugs, and/or surgery. Treatment is always individualized for each patient," NORD adds.

In a final message to his followers, Dr. Ghali writes: "So the moral of the story here is do your best to keep clean, always wash your hands, and never, ever eat raw or undercooked pork."

I may just be avoiding it altogether.

Featured image credit: X/@ Sam Ghali, M.D

A relaxing cruise quickly turned into a gastrointestinal nightmare on the Navigator of the Seas.

More than 140 passengers and crew fell ill amid reports of vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea during a week-long voyage from Los Angeles to Mexico, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There were 134 passengers impacted and seven crew members on the cruise from Los Angeles to Mexico.

Investigators are still trying to work out what caused the outbreak.

In response to the health crisis, Royal Caribbean quickly implemented enhanced cleaning and safety protocols, which included isolating those affected and increasing onboard sanitation procedures.

“The health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority,” a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Group told USA TODAY.

They added: “To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of health and safety onboard our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which far exceed public health guidelines.”

This outbreak is not an isolated incident.

The CDC has already reported 18 gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships in 2025 that required public alerts, based on CDC criteria (when 3% or more of all crew and passengers report symptoms).

Most of these have been linked to norovirus, a highly contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea.

“Norovirus is often a cause of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships, but we don't always know the cause of the outbreak when we begin an investigation. Finding the agent that caused an outbreak (causative agent) can take time,” the CDC said.

Royal Caribbean has faced similar issues before. In February 2025, over 90 passengers and crew fell ill aboard the Radiance of the Seas.

Though these incidents tend to dominate headlines, they account for only about 1% of all reported gastrointestinal illnesses, CDC data shows.

Health officials are warning that norovirus outbreaks may continue this season, as a newly dominant strain appears to be spreading more aggressively on land and sea.

“CDC data show a newly dominant strain is currently associated with reported norovirus outbreaks on land,” the agency noted in a statement.

“Ships typically follow the pattern of land-based outbreaks, which are higher this norovirus season.”

Featured image credit: SOPA Images / Getty

If you needed another reason to double-check your meat’s doneness, here it is.

A doctor has gone viral after sharing an alarming CT scan that revealed the consequences of eating contaminated pork, and it's not for the squeamish.

Dr. Sam Ghali, a physician with over 630,000 followers on X, posted what he called “one of the craziest CT scans” he’s ever seen.

The image showed a woman’s legs riddled with small white specks, prompting widespread speculation online.

After giving his followers 24 hours to guess the diagnosis, Dr. Ghali revealed the cause: Cysticercosis, a parasitic infection caused by Taenia solium, commonly known as the pork tapeworm.

“This infection occurs when a person ingests the microscopic eggs of the tapeworm,” Dr. Ghali explained, “usually through fecal-oral contamination, not by eating undercooked pork directly, but by consuming food or water tainted with the parasite’s eggs.”

Once inside the body, the eggs release larvae that can travel through the bloodstream and embed themselves in various tissues, forming fluid-filled cysts called cysticerci, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders. According to Dr. Ghali, these cysts most commonly appear in the brain, muscles, eyes, and under the skin.

The scan he shared showed calcified cysticerci in the patient’s legs, remnants of the body’s immune system attacking the parasites, leaving behind distinctive "rice grain" shaped scars.

More concerning, however, is when the larvae reach the brain, a condition known as neurocysticercosis. This form of the disease can cause headaches, seizures, confusion, and other neurological issues, and is a leading cause of epilepsy in some parts of the world.

According to the World Health Organization, Taenia solium is responsible for up to 30% of epilepsy cases in certain endemic regions where humans and free-roaming pigs often live in close quarters. In some high-risk communities, that number can climb as high as 70%.

Though many cases of cysticercosis are asymptomatic and require no treatment, those with neurocysticercosis often need a tailored regimen of antiparasitic medications, anti-inflammatory drugs, seizure management, and sometimes surgery.

In his closing advice, Dr. Ghali reminded followers of the basics:

“The takeaway? Wash your hands. Keep your food prep clean. And never eat raw or undercooked pork.”

After seeing that scan, skipping pork entirely doesn’t sound so extreme...

Featured image credit: Basilios1 / Getty