Allergy fright for diner

A public relations executive from Britain was taken seriously ill suffering from an acute allergic reaction shortly after eating a meal at a leading hotel on the island.

Faye Williamson, 24, needed hospital treatment after enjoying a chicken dish and bread at the Sheraton Hotel in Manama.

She had been visiting a friend in the kingdom and ended up being admitted to Bahrain Specialist Hospital on the day of her planned departure.

"At midday I ate a dish of tandoori marinated chicken with pita bread and salad and immediately felt nauseous and light headed.

"I went inside the hotel away from the sun to see if I felt better, but it did not help so we went back to my friend's apartment where my face began to swell and my throat started to become restricted.

"I was rushed to the hospital at approximately 2pm as I continued to become violently sick. My blood pressure dropped and I had a rash from head to toe," said Ms Williamson.

Ms Williamson has a known allergy to nuts and at the time of ordering her meal by the swimming pool she claims hotel staff ensured her that the chicken tandoori she ordered did not contain them.

She was treated for an acute allergic reaction and given injections of antihistamine, an IV, oxygen and additional medications. She was advised not to travel if her condition did not improve as a relapse at high altitude could prove fatal.

"My blood pressure returned to normal and I was able to stand up without collapsing. I was discharged from the hospital at 9pm and decided to go to the airport at 11pm.

Although I felt OK to travel I contacted the British Airways staff who informed me that they had epi-pen injections filled with adrenaline on board which would provide a short-term solution if I fell ill again," said Ms Williamson.

Dr Mohammad Al Khateeb, a GP and consultant of public health at American Mission Hospital explained the severity of acute allergic reactions. He said: "Food allergy is an exaggerated immune response of the body that begins after eating an offending food.

"Severe reactions can cause low blood pressure and blocked airways and can also result in anaphylaxis that can result in death."

He added that knowing what you are eating and avoiding allergens is the only way to avoid complications.

Ms Williamson has brought the incident to the hotel's attention and has asked for a complete list of the ingredients of the meal she ate.

Starwood Hotel and Resorts that operates Sheraton in Bahrain told GulfWeekly that they were carrying out an investigation into the incident.

A spokesman said: "The hotel has an allergen policy and provides regular trainings to all food handlers on understanding and identifying allergens and handling related guest requests.

"Food menus are labelled to identify foods that may contain allergens such as nuts, gluten, and shellfish. The safety, security and well-being of all guests, visitors and associates are taken most seriously by the Sheraton Bahrain.

"Hotel management and our corporate environmental health and safety department have been in contact with Ms Williamson in order to obtain information and conclude the investigation."

Ms Williamson has had additional RAST (Radioallergosorbent Test) performed at a private clinic in the UK and says she has provided the information to the hotel and to the head of consultant environmental health officers who audit Starwood Hotel and Resorts throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

She says she is 'disgusted' with the response she has received from the hotel to date and says it has not accepted responsibility for what happened to her.

She claimed: "I have had little reciprocal correspondence with the hotel. It is laughable to assume for one minute that my allergic reaction could have come from any other source seeing as that was all I had eaten all day."