THREE CASES OF CHOLERA DIAGNOSED IN NEW YORK AFTER WEDDING GUESTS RETURN HOME
(Daily Mail) -
Cholera has been diagnosed in three New Yorkers - the first known cases in the city since last year's outbreak in Haiti.
Three adults developed the disease after travelling to the Dominican Republic for a wedding on January 22, city health officials confirmed today.
The victims began experiencing classic symptoms of dehydration and diarrhoea soon after returning home.
They were diagnosed on Friday, but none of them had to stay in hospital and all have now recovered.
DANGER COUNTRIES AND THE DISEASE SYMPTOMS
The main areas of the world in which cholera is found include Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Peru and some parts of Central America.
Cholera is also common in circumstances where people can't get access to clean water or sanitation is poor - for example, after a natural disaster like the Haiti earthquake
Cholera is caused by infection with a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae. There are more than 100 forms (serotypes) of V. cholerae, but there are only two types that affect humans:
Symptoms of cholera include:Dehyration, vomiting,stomach cramps, fever (mostly in children) and diarrhoea
Most people get symptoms after two to five days.
The symptoms of cholera can vary from mild to severe. About three-quarters of people who are infected don't realise they have it, as they don't become ill.
The symptoms of cholera are caused by the V. cholerae bacteria producing a poison in the small bowel.It is usually spread through water contaminated with infected faeces.
Health officials declined to release their names or where they lived.
On average, the city sees about one case of cholera a year, usually in people returning from travels abroad, said health department official Erin Hughes.
The department is now liaising with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to discover what the victims ate and the type of cholera strain.
Scientists are hoping to find out if it is linked to the cholera epidemic that has ravaged Haiti, killing thousands since October and infecting many more.
The government has been trying to prevent the disease from spreading from neighbouring Haiti to the Dominican Republic where some cases have been identified on arrival in the U.S.
While cholera can spread swiftly where sanitation is poor and clean drinking water is unavailable, the possibility of transmitting the disease in New York is considered low.
The likelihood of human transmission is also low, as one would have to drink large amounts of water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae, the cholera-causing bacteria, to get sick.
Those with cholera can recover rapidly, particularly if they rehydrate by drinking water with salt or sugar. In some cases, intravenous treatment and antibiotics might be required.
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