Tourist contracts rare disease after Bali purification ritual
Bali is often considered a paradise island for tourists seeking spiritual experiences.
A tourist flew to Bali to undergo a purification ritual — but contracted a serious disease. The man has been recovering for a year.
The incident happened to a married couple for whom a trip to the island was a long-held dream. They visited the Tirta Empul water temple for a spiritual ceremony. During the ritual, one must immerse themselves in the spring three times and rinse their mouth three times with the holy water.
The husband did all of the above — and the happy couple continued their vacation. But six months later, the man began to notice severe rashes on his skin. Hives, severe itching, and acne appeared, and the skin all over his body was affected.
«According to his wife, her husband»s body simply stopped functioning: his gastrointestinal tract failed to digest food, his pancreas malfunctioned, and sleep disappeared. Doctors could not establish a diagnosis for over six months until the man was tested for Blastocystis — microorganisms that parasitize in polluted water environments. With a confirmed diagnosis of blastocystosis, the man fought the infection with antiparasitic drugs for a year,« writes the Telegram channel Baza.
According to their report, during this time the man was hospitalized several times and the illness worsened. However, he is now on the mend. His health is no longer under threat.
A photo shows the severe skin rash the tourist developed months after the ritual.
The purification ritual involves immersion in and drinking from sacred temple springs.
