Latest news with #tourists
The Independent
7 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Should I be worried about rabies on holiday and where is it a risk?
Following the death of a British grandmother from rabies, tourists headed on their summer holidays may have heightened concerns about the safety of their travel plans. Yvonne Ford, 59, died in Sheffield last Wednesday (11 June), four months after being scratched by a puppy in Morocco. Rabies, a rare but deadly infection, is usually transmitted to humans through a bite or scratch from an infected animal. Once symptoms appear, the viral disease is almost always fatal. Common symptoms of rabies include numbness, hallucinations and difficulty swallowing. Here's everything holidaymakers need to know to stay safe from rabies while travelling. What is rabies? Rabies is a usually fatal infection of the brain and nerves that can be caught if a person is bitten, scratched or licked by an infected animal. The viral disease is spread by contact with saliva from mammals, such as dogs, bats, raccoons and foxes. What are the symptoms of rabies? According to the NHS, symptoms of rabies can take days, weeks or even several months to appear. These include: Numbness or tingling where you were bitten or scratched Hallucinations Feeling very anxious or energetic Difficulty swallowing or breathing Paralysis 'Once symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal,' says NHS guidance. Where is rabies most common? Rabies is rare in the UK, but it is found in some UK bat species. It is more common in parts of: Asia Africa Central and South America Can I get a rabies vaccine? There is a pre-exposure rabies vaccine that is recommended to travellers visiting regions where the viral disease is more common. Travellers headed to remote areas for more than a month with a likelihood of encountering infected animals are encouraged by the NHS to have the vaccine. In most cases, you have to pay for the rabies vaccine. Is there a treatment for rabies? Yes, if administered before symptoms appear, travellers can be treated to prevent rabies post-exposure. This usually involves two or more doses of the rabies vaccine. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA): 'A full course of pre-exposure rabies vaccines will provide good protection from rabies for most people.' If a traveller has completed a full course of the pre-exposure rabies vaccine within the last year, they may receive a single booster dose. The NHS say that those who have not had the rabies vaccine before or are immunocompromised may also have their wound treated with a medicine called rabies immunoglobulin. However, once symptoms develop, there is no effective treatment. What is the UK government's advice for travellers? To reduce the risk of getting rabies while travelling abroad, the UKHSA tells tourists to avoid contact with any wild animals, including touching or feeding them. It also warns: 'Rabid animals may behave strangely or seem unusually tame, but some may not have any signs that they are infected.' If bitten, scratched or licked by an animal on broken skin, UKHSA recommends travellers take these steps:
Washington Post
9 hours ago
- Washington Post
Renting with apps like Airbnb and Vrbo used to be so great. What happened?
I'm writing to you from a home rental in France where we had to rent our sheets and towels. No joke, 15 euros a day. When we leave, we have to bring them back — folded. And then it hit me: Were we given the last renter's dirty linens? We rented an Airbnb in Lisbon a couple of years ago. It was on the fifth floor of an apartment building and promised 180-degree views of the city below. But when we arrived late that night, there were no views of the city. There were only views of scaffolding out of every window. Disappointed, we threw our bags down and sat on the bed. It collapsed.
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Car gets stuck in sand after rescue attempt at Boscombe Beach
A car has become stuck in the sand at a tourist hot spot for the third time this summer.A witness told the BBC that a black Land Rover drove onto Boscombe Beach in Bournemouth to try and rescue two people on a broken-down water Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council are installing warning signs to remind people not to drive on to the sand following this latest incident on Tuesday evening. The local authority said cars should not be driven on the beach for the safety of tourists and residents Lee Williams and two of his friends were out fishing when they spotted the vehicle driving near to Boscombe Pier. He said he noticed the water scooter had been broken down for at least two hours and watched as the 4x4 driver reversed their trailer into the sea in an attempt to help. His two friends then assisted the driver by pushing the car free from the water. BCP Council is reminding people that driving on the beach is "strictly prohibited."Councillor Richard Herrett, cabinet member for destination, leisure and commercial operations, said: "The safety of residents and visitors enjoying the seafront, including children, is paramount and there are plenty of car parks conveniently located across the three towns and close to the beaches."We will be placing signs along the beach road to remind drivers they must not drive onto the sand." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
CTV News
11 hours ago
- CTV News
‘The pesos are too old': Ontario woman frustrated after bank reverses currency exchange of $1,400
When travelling abroad, you may come home with foreign currencies. if you hang onto foreign currency too long it could become outdated and lose its value.
Irish Times
17 hours ago
- Irish Times
The Rusty Mackerel, Donegal review: Sarah Jessica Parker's go-to is where you want to be after a bracing cliff walk
The Rusty Mackerel Address : Teelin, Carrick, Co Donegal, F94VP99 Telephone : 074-9739101 Cuisine : Pub Grub Website : Cost : €€€ We've come from the cliffs at Sliabh Liag – 600m above sea level, the highest sea cliffs in Europe – where the land just gives up and drops off the side of the country. The view across Donegal Bay is staggering. It's better than the Cliffs of Moher . Fewer buses. Smaller crowds. The kind of place that makes you forget about food entirely – until you get back into the car, the road curves inland, and suddenly you're starving. The Rusty Mackerel, nearby in Teelin, is the place to stop. With a terrace out front, a conservatory to one side and rooms upstairs, it is a favourite of tourists and hikers. A warren of rooms in the pub is filled with pints and talk. In the conservatory, where our food is served, the brick walls, timber beams and stone flag floors create an inviting ambience. Guinness and whiskey mirrors, framed adverts and copper pots anchor you firmly in Ireland. The menu is short: seven starters, seven mains and five desserts. There's fish and chips, a Guinness beef stew, pasta with chicken in a white wine cream sauce and a seafood pie with smoked haddock and salmon. Starters include a creamy seafood chowder, crispy chicken wings and garlic bread with or without cheese. Desserts stick to the classics: sticky toffee pudding, crème brûlée, brownies, and spiced apple crumble – all priced at €9. The wine list is equally short, with four whites, three reds, a rosé, and a Prosecco, all available by the glass. It should be noted that the rosé is Sarah Jessica Parker 's – she drops in when she's holidaying in Donegal. I go for the Chardonnay (€7.70); my wingman, Steve, has a Guinness (€5.90). READ MORE We order the goat's cheese tartlet (€14) and the prawn and monkfish (€14.50) to start. It's a single slice from a log of soft goat's cheese in a small prebaked pastry case, which is warmed through. It is topped with red onion marmalade, which adds sweetness - perhaps a bit too much - and underneath is a green wild garlic purée – strong, sharp and slightly overpowering. The prawn and monkfish is served in an escargot dish – the white ceramic kind with six wells, originally designed to hold snails and garlic butter. It's an odd vessel, but it works. The monkfish is perfectly cooked – no small achievement. It's an unforgiving fish when overdone. The prawns hold their texture in a mild creamy sauce. The layer of melted mozzarella across the top has a wonderful cheese pull and is strangely satisfying. The brown bread that comes with it is very good – deep brown, dense, slightly sweet, served thick and warm with butter. We've ordered two mains: fish and chips (€22.50) and the Guinness stew (€22.50). The fish and chips is excellent. The fish – haddock – comes in a Guinness beer batter, fried to a perfect crunch. The batter is thin and crisp, not oily, and flakes apart with a good crack. Inside, the fish is hot, juicy, and firm. This is how it's meant to be done – the batter acts as a casing, holding in the heat and the moisture, without turning to glue. The hand-cut chips are thick, not quite crunchy, but piping hot. A small bowl of mushy peas and a ramekin of tartare sauce do the job. The stew comes in a deep bowl, loaded with tender beef, peas, carrots and a generous dollop of buttery mash. But the gravy lacks depth. There's sweetness where there should be something savoury – no bitterness, no dark malt character, nothing that suggests stout. It could do with a splash of lemon juice to add acidity. There's more of that excellent brown bread on the side. The Rusty Mackerel, Carrick, Co Donegal The Rusty Mackerel, Carrick, Co Donegal The Rusty Mackerel Pub, Carrick, Co Donegal We share a dessert – sticky toffee pudding (€9). The sponge is warm and soft, but not especially sticky. The toffee sauce, poured on top and squiggled across the plate, tastes confected, like something from a bottle. It comes with soft-serve ice cream and a strawberry on top. The Rusty Mackerel is open most days – including midweek – which already puts it ahead of much of rural Donegal. Many places shut from Monday to Wednesday, or hibernate until high season. This one stays open year-round. That, along with the fish, is reason enough to stop. After the cliffs and the road and the cold air in your lungs, it's not just somewhere to eat – it's exactly where you want to be. Dinner for two with a glass of wine and a beer was €96.10. The verdict: A post-hike menu that gets the basics right. Food provenance: Molloys Fish, Killybegs; Adrian Byrne Butchers; and Declan McShane for fruit and vegetables. Vegetarian options: Goat's cheese tartlet and vegetable curry. Wheelchair access: Fully accessible with an accessible toilet. Music: Country sounds such as Riley Green and Chris Stapleton.
