Getting sick on vacation is never fun—but getting so sick that the national government gets involved? That’s a story you’ll tell for a lifetime.
The internet is full of vacation stories gone awry. From people who flew to Africa instead of Europe to travelers who had their hotel reservations canceled while they were still inside their rooms, there’s a lot that can go wrong when you’re away from home.
This woman’s story, however, takes the cake. In a video with over 646,000 views, TikTok user Katy Colloton (@kcolloton47) recounts how a girls’ trip to Boston ended with a trip to the hospital—and a phone call from the CDC.
What Went Wrong On This Girls’ Trip?
In her video, which is framed in the style of the “put a finger down” trend, Colloton says that she and her friends decided to have a girls’ trip to Boston. During this time, they decided to “hit up every single seafood shack you can find.”
“You have oysters and crab and lobster and shellfish, and you’re like, ‘This is fantastic,’” Colloton says.
On the way to the airport, Colloton encountered some stomach trouble. Soon, she was having “the worst diarrhea of [her] life.”
Somehow, she made it back home. The illness did not subside.
Things Get Worse
Colloton states that, in the coming days, she struggled to keep any food down. Believing it was just a bad case of food poisoning, she simply rested for a few days until realizing that she should go to a doctor.
Upon arriving at the doctor’s office, it was requested that she take a stool sample. She complied.
A few days later, Colloton got a call—from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC.
“You have tested positive for cholera,” she recounts. “Cholera!”
How Does One Get Cholera In The 21st Century?
If you’re looking for a new fear to add to your list, it’s still very possible to get cholera in the modern era.
In a follow-up video, Colloton says that the CDC told her she likely got cholera from eating tainted oysters.
“When the CDC called, they were like, ‘Have you traveled recently?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah—to Boston!’” Colloton laughs.
She then told the CDC all of the restaurants where she could remember eating oysters. Her friends on the trip did not suffer the same fate. Consequently, Colloton believes that she just “ate one really funky oyster.”
“I was sick for like a couple weeks, the first two weeks being the worst, but then I was fine,” she says. “I was never hospitalized; I had to go in multiple times to get IVs and get my vitals taken because, you know, I didn’t want to die of dehydration. But, otherwise, after a couple weeks, I think I just s— it all out, and then I was good.”
Can You Get Cholera From Oysters?
Yes, you can—though it’s rare.
As noted by the CDC, oysters feed by filtering water. Vibrio bacteria naturally live in coastal waters. If an oyster filters enough water with this bacteria, it can concentrate in the oyster’s tissues.
Generally speaking, Vibrio cholerae is not the most common Vibrio bacteria found in oysters. Studies have found that the most common Vibrio bacteria in oysters are Vibrio vulnificus or Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
While both of these bacteria can make you sick, eating them will not give you cholera. However, if you’re unlucky enough to consume an oyster with Vibrio cholera, you could suffer a fate similar to Colloton.
Thankfully, this is very rare, with only a small number of oysters testing positive for Vibrio cholera. If one does get cholera, the treatment generally involves rest and aggressive rehydration.
@kcolloton47 A real girls gone wild weekend #cholera #girlstrip #putafingerdown #thewrongonepercent #medical
Commenters Are Shocked
In the comments section, users couldn’t believe that something as simple as oyster consumption could lead to such a bad illness.
“You must’ve played Oregon Trail: the immersive experience,” joked a user.
“I don’t even know how to get cholera if I wanted it,” added another.
That said, some said illnesses like these are more common—and more easily obtained—than one could care to admit.
“Happened to me in march. I was so sick & the dr. thought it might be c-dif from my grandmother’s assisted living,” recalled a commenter. “Nope cholera!! CDC wanted to know if I’d been out of the country. Nope!!”
“A friend of mine had dysentery in college,” offered a second.
“OMG I had cholera in 2018!! I had seafood right before too,” stated a third.
BroBible reached out to Colloton via TikTok direct message and comment.