A Virginia woman has become the latest American tourist to fall mysteriously ill while on holiday in the Dominican Republic, cutting short her honeymoon. Skylar Martin and her husband Derek were married on June 8 and travelled to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana for a week-long stay.
According to reports, the couple enjoyed a day at the beach on Friday, but their trip turned into a nightmare after dining at a Japanese hibachi restaurant at the resort on Saturday night. Skylar told her husband she felt unwell and later woke up with 'extreme vomiting' that lasted for about six hours. She also experienced a fever and periods of unconsciousness.
The couple sought help at the resort's clinic, where blood tests showed a significant spike in a component of her white blood cells. Doctors suggested it could be a bacterial blood infection. The newlyweds cut their trip short and returned to Virginia on Monday, with the hotel covering medical transport and flight change costs.
Skylar's illness follows similar reports from other American tourists. Tracy McCraw of Mississippi fell ill with flu-like symptoms during a five-day stay at the Royalton Punta Cana in May, experiencing a 102-degree fever and stomach cramps. She avoided hospital, fearing poor medical conditions, and noted other sick passengers on her flight home.
These incidents come amid the deaths of eight American tourists in the Dominican Republic under mysterious circumstances, including Joseph Allen, 55, of New Jersey, found dead in his hotel room at the Terra Linda hotel in Sosua.
