A BRITISH holidaymaker was booted off a cruise after ringworm he caught from his newly-adopted kittens was mistaken for contagious Mpox.
James Scott, 53, had been given tablets by his GP and a note detailing ringworm treatment.
But air pressure on his flight to Tenerife made his blisters weep and he visited a ship medic within hours of boarding.
He was rushed off for two days of quarantine in hospital, then allowed back on the Canary Islands cruise after flying to Fuerteventura.
Hospital maintenance worker James, of Nottingham, paid around £2,500 for the TUI trip with his girlfriend.
He said: “I’ve never been so embarrassed.
“I’m probably £5,000 out of pocket.”
James also phoned TUI the day before the trip explaining his condition and provided a doctor’s note confirming his oral treatment for ringworm.
He said: “The whole experience was an absolute disaster from start to finish.
“I’d asked TUI if we could postpone the trip to another sailing in three weeks time but they said I either go or lose all that money.
“I wasn’t asking to cancel for a refund and was only hoping for some compassion to give me time to recover for the sake of others.
TUI insisted correct protocols were followed as he did not have an official fit-to-fly certificate.
