The outbreak of Cyclospora currently making people ill across 45 states in the US highlights the difficulty of determining the origin of a parasite (in the current US case) or a bacterium.

One of the more interesting issues that arose while running a travel wholesaler in South East Asia was tracking down the source of an illness striking down our customers in Cambodia.

I had been brought on as Group Corporate Counsel and then took on the Deputy CEO responsibilities. With the CEO moving back to Germany, I was effectively running the Group operations.

During one high season, a number of mainly American tourists were falling ill in Siem Reap and missing the site-seeing. It was a long trip to Siem Reap from America to miss the famed Angkor Wat temples. It wasn't all passengers, just a number from different tour groups.

The tour had two routes - flying Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City and then via boat to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and then flying back to Hanoi or the reverse route.

The tour was sold by a high profile international cruise operator which outsourced the boat component to a local supplier. Customers were demanding compensation from the cruise operator.

Dozens of passengers were falling ill with some requiring doctor visits. Initial focus was on the outdoor seafood buffet at the 5 star hotel where most stayed in Siem Reap. One customer even swore he knew the exact piece of seafood he had eaten which caused his illness!

The hotel was ultimately ruled out as they adhered to strict HACCP food hygiene standards with meticulous records.

We then looked at the water supplied to customers on our tour buses in Siem Reap, going so far as to have the water tested at the independent Institut Pasteur du Cambodge in Phnom Penh. Another dead end.

Next stop was the boats. It turned out that they drew water from the river for onboard use, filtering it using a reverse osmosis and UV process. They would do this when the boat was moored near communities. Effluent is discharged by these communities into the river so it was not the best place from which to draw water. The RO and UV systems on the boats were either malfunctioning or unable to cope with the levels of bacteria or parasites in the water. The processed water was used for cooking and making ice - the latter of which was most likely making the passengers sick.

Once we had notified the cruise operator, they took steps to ensure the problem did not reoccur. Problem solved.

There was never a dull moment in the travel sector. From earthquakes to typhoons to insolvency issues and cash flow waterfalls, it was interesting work. The river water issue was without doubt one of the more complex issues to unravel and resolve.

Next time you are on a boat cruise and have ice in your drink, spare a thought about where that ice may have originated.

August 2026

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