December 7, 2024

Travel In Bali

Travel & Tour Tips

Bali Belly outbreak hits travellers to Indonesian island with Love Island winner catching it twice

Bali Belly outbreak hits travellers to Indonesian island with Love Island winner catching it twice

Aussies spill on horror Bali Belly ordeals as one traveller reveals she got it TWICE on her trip and another moans: ‘I couldn’t be more than four metres from the toilet’

  • Dozens of tourists have complained of catching gastro in Bali in recent weeks  
  • While ‘Bali Belly’ is a common phenomenon some have said there is an outbreak
  • The minor food poisoning is temporary but can very effectively spoil a holiday 

Travellers in Bali are complaining of a mass outbreak of gastroenteritis leaving dozens stuck in their hotel or villa bathrooms unable to get out and fully enjoy their holiday. 

One holidaymaker to the Indonesian paradise, Love Island Australia season three winner Tina Provis, shared a video to TikTok this week revealing she caught the illness, sometimes linked to food poisoning or ‘Bali Belly’, twice in the same short trip. 

‘I didn’t think it was a thing to get Bali Belly twice, so here I am getting it at the start of my trip being like ‘hahaha at least it’s over with’ but wrong! I feel like crap,’ Ms Provis said.

Bali Belly outbreak hits travellers to Indonesian island with Love Island winner catching it twice

Tina Provis, 25, said she caught the stomach bug twice in the same trip over the space of just a few days

Love Island season three winner Tina Provis

Ms Provis revealed her Bali Belly battle

Love Island season three winner Tina Provis took to TikTok to reveal her Bali Belly battle

‘I started to feel sick the day before we left and then before we got on the plane and it’s been over 24 hours since I’ve been home and I can’t eat.’

‘I tried to eat some cereal today but I just feel nauseous,’ the 26-year-old PR consultant added.

WHAT IS BALI BELLY?

Another term for gastro or food poisoning if caught on the Indonesian island.

Caused by bacteria that inflames the stomach. 

Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and fatigue.

Can be caught via contaminated food or water or not washing hands properly.

In another video, Ms Provis explained she began to feel quite nauseous as she got to the airport but then had to ‘wait in two hours of lines before we caught the red-eye so… that was pretty rough’.

Another TikToker, Milley Turley from the UK, shared a video titled ‘New Year’s Bali trip gone wrong’.

She explained both she and her friend got sick shortly after arriving.

‘My friend passed out multiple times so we rushed her to the emergency clinic,’ she said. 

‘Then my other bestie arrived and the day after he also got sick’.

Tammy Whelan, who shares her backpacking adventures on the platform, also said she had a nasty bout of the stomach flu.

‘So I got Bali belly on my third day here. I couldn’t be more than four metres from a toilet,’ Ms Whelan said. 

‘I got one of those doctors-on-call and got a drip and it was the best thing I’ve ever done. Also make sure you get travel insurance.’

Irish backpacker Tammy Whelan also said she caught the bug

While Bali has delicious food travelers have been warned to be careful

Irish backpacker Tammy Whelan (pictured) also caught the stomach bug adding that the thought of any food at all made her want to throw up

She revealed she felt so ill she began to see things. 

‘The thought of food will make you physically sick and you’re going to be severely dehydrated which in turn is going to make you hallucinate.’

‘No matter how careful you are it could happen to you its just random selection,’ she said.

Many people commenting on the videos and on a Facebook page dedicated to travel in Bali also complained that ‘Bali Belly’ seemed to be around a lot in the last month. 

‘It’s going around everywhere there right now, we were in a group of 15 people and all of us got it,’ one person said.

‘Dude I’m still not the same and I’ve been back since last Friday,’ another said.

‘I was scared from reading all the stories before we went back in December then me and my one-year-old both got it. I was so careful washing hands etc… just have meds with you.’ a third said.

‘Has anyone who went to Bali recently not gotten sick? I’m hearing of so many people being unwell, scared of our upcoming trip,’ added a fourth.

‘Yeah gastro was rife in Bali at Christmas and New Year’s I had it twice on my most recent trip! Four days apart… wasn’t fun,’ a fifth said.

One TikToker who also had a bout of the illness while on a holiday to Bali shared some tips.

‘I couldn’t move off the bathroom floor so I contacted the nearest outcall doctor with good reviews – which was $30 – and an hour later they were at my room giving me an IV with fluids and vitamins, along with anti-nausea and bathroom meds,’ they explained.

The seasoned traveler said to: ‘Always make sure you get traveller’s insurance and avoid  tap water, also brush your teeth with bottled water, and don’t get ice in drinks.’

‘Also bring over-the-counter medicines like Immodium and activated charcoal,’ she advised.