Holiday in Egypt - 5 months pregnant

[Sandrine1982]

Hi there. We are planning our Easter hols right now and we would really love to go to Egypt (Hurghada). We have been working so hard and really need a break somewhere hot and sunny. My main concern is the food safety in Egypt. I don't want to get any vaccinations right now as I'm 13 weeks pregnant, at time of travel I will be 21 weeks. We are planning to stay in an all-inclusive resort with 9/10 quality reviews.
Of course I will be very careful with water and everything I eat, but I'm still not sure. Has anyone been to Egypt recently? Anyone pregnant? Has anyone had any issues? Your advice would be much appreciated. XXX

I live in Egypt.

I'd agree re not swallowing shower water - I made myself ill earlier this week because I was thirsty in the night, couldn't be bothered to go downstairs for water from the dispenser, & gulped water from the tap. It's technically drinkable, but it's heavily chlorinated & might give you the runs - this happens every time I drink tap water, although it's fine for cooking or hot drinks - drinking a pint of it out of the tap may not agree with you!

With regard to hotels, if it's all inclusive & you're relying on buffets, then beware salads, basically. Dc & I are tough as old boots in this respect after several years here, but again the water used to rinse them may cause issues if you aren't used to it.

Stick to well cooked meat, fabulous local bread (aish balady) & grilled veg, & you'll be absolutely fine.

You're probably safer with street food than hotel buffets - it's freshly cooked & the locals are eating it too!

Go to Crete instead

Egypt is not in a good place at the moment

Thank you all for your helpful messages. So in the end we booked 9 days in Gran Canaria and decided on Airbnb. I'M SO EXCITED !!! Egypt will just have to wait :-) xx

That's a wise decision. On a coach trip in Egypt the last time I was thereI ended up sharing out my spare Imodium to fellow travellers. If I'd been mercenary I'm sure I could have made £££. So many were suffering. I've been to Egypt a couple of times. I wouldn't go when pregnant.

@pinkgloves I booked my holiday a while ago so I’m definitely going. The problem is in March is finding somewhere that’s hot but hadn’t got Zikka. I was shocked at how many countries had Zikka when I started looking for a holiday and so opted for Egypt as it is fairly close and didn’t have Zikka threat.