The Foreign Office (FCDO) has updated its advice for Cape Verde after an investigation this week revealed increases in Salmonella and Shigella cases among travellers to the destination.
The investigation, led by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), found that of the 158 confirmed Shigella cases reported since 1 October 2025, 118 reported international travel. Of these, 112 (95%) travelled to Cape Verde.
UKHSA also said 43 cases of Salmonella reported since 1 October have been linked to the holiday destination.
The FCDO update says: “The UK Health Security Agency is investigating an increase in reports of Shigella sonnei and Salmonella infection in travellers returning from Cape Verde. If you have an underlying health condition, speak to a healthcare professional before travelling.”
The FCDO update includes a link to the Travel Health Pro website, which includes details of the UKHSA report. It also says European Centre for Disease prevention and Control (ECDC) reported an upsurge in cases of Shigella in travellers returning from Cape Verde to four European Union countries: The Netherlands, Sweden, France and Ireland. Cases were mainly observed between September and November 2025.
The Shigella bacteria cause shigellosis, a gut infection with symptoms such as severe diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps. It is spread through contact with contaminated faeces, either directly from person to person or indirectly via contaminated food, water or surfaces.
Salmonella bacteria cause salmonellosis, an intestinal infection leading to diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever, and people usually become infected by consuming contaminated food or water.
Earlier this week, the first class action court case brought by law firm Irwin Mitchell, involving 300 holidaymakers who say they fell ill in Cape Verde, began in the High Court.
All 300 stayed at the same hotel in Cape Verde in summer 2022.
In total, Irwin Mitchell is representing more than 1,500 British holidaymakers who have suffered gastric illness linked to holidays in Cape Verde since 2022, including the families of six Britons who died, four of them within the last few months.
