Cholera in Cuba now stands at 163 cases
Just days after the US Interests Section in Havana, Cuba issued a “security message” for US citizens residing in or traveling to the island due to a cholera outbreak, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is now updating the cholera case count on the Caribbean Island.
According to the PAHO bulletin, on August 23, 2013, the National IHR Focal Point of Cuba reported that following the outbreak recorded in 2012 and during the current year suspected cholera cases have been analyze regularly. As a result of the surveillance, 163 cholera cases were confirmed in the provinces of Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Camagüey, as well as in other municipalities where cases were associated with these three provinces.
According to the investigation, the cases recorded in Havana have been linked to two food service centers where the presence of asymptomatic persons infected with cholera among food handlers was found. The food outlets have since adopted appropriate sanitary measures.
In addition, included in the confirmed cholera cases are 12 persons who had traveled to Cuba from other countries (two from Chile, two from Germany, three from Italy, one from the Netherlands, two from Spain, and two from Venezuela).
The cases include 8 men and 4 women, with an age range of 30-74 years (median age of 53). The Institute of Tropical Medicine “Pedro Kouri” confirmed the detection of V. cholerae Ogawa serogroup O1 in all of the cases.
Cholera is a bacterial disease that can cause diarrhea and dehydration. Cholera is most often spread through the ingestion of contaminated food or drinking water. Water may be contaminated by the feces of an infected person or by untreated sewage. Food is often contaminated by water containing cholera bacteria or by being handled by a person ill with cholera.
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They have all since recovered and no deaths have been recorded.