Pensioner’s holiday hell after getting deadly infection ‘from Airbnb hot tub’

A British holiday-maker almost died after contracting a deadly disease "from a hot tub in at an Airbnb" in Florida, US.

Pamela Farman, 75, was relaxing with her family when she suddenly could not catch her breath.

Doctors said she was "lucky to be alive" after her lungs became "severely damaged" by a horror bacterial infection.

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The family are furious at the Airbnb host and blame one of their hot tubs for leaving Pamela in a life threatening condition.

The infection she contracted, Legionnaires' disease, is a deadly form of pneumonia that infects the lungs.

The retired mum from Suffolk said: "The Legionnaires’ disease has stolen the joy of living from me.

"Because of my trouble breathing and extreme fatigue as a result of the disease, I dread that I may never get back to the way I was prior to staying at the Airbnb.

"I can no longer exercise, and trying to go for a walk is a nightmare.”

Pamela now struggles to do daily tasks, with symptoms that have been likened to long-Covid.

Pamela arrived with her husband and daughter for the holiday in May 2022.

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The family ended up staying in three different Airbnb's as the first two "were extremely dirty, with algae growing in the pools".

It was after a couple of days at the third location that Pamela said she began developing a cough, and her condition began to deteriorate.

She was rushed to hospital where she remained for a week before flying home to the UK where she spent another four days in hospital.

Pamela's daughter Lindsay Martin said: "Before we knew it, mum was in hospital.

"We immediately called Airbnb to report what had happened so they could get the pools and hot tubs cleaned to prevent any more cases.

"It was incredibly frustrating and they initially refused to accept responsibility or offer us a refund.

"It wasn't about the money, we didn't want anyone else to become ill and go through this – people can die from it."

The family are now in the process of suing Airbnb.

A spokesman for Airbnb said: "The safety of our community is our priority.

"We were concerned to learn about this, and are in contact with the guest to support them as we investigate this matter."

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