Published Date: 2012-07-09 12:12:03
Subject: PRO/EDR> Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (26): Cuba (GR) Havana case
Archive Number: 20120709.1194769

CHOLERA, DIARRHEA AND DYSENTERY UPDATE 2012 (26): CUBA (GRANMA), HAVANA CASE
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Date: Sat 7 Jul 2012
Source: BBC News, Latin America & Caribbean [edited]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-18758325


The BBC has learned that a patient has been diagnosed with cholera in the Cuban capital, Havana, days after 3 people died in a rare outbreak in the southeastern town of Manzanillo. More than 50 people were infected and about 1000 have received medical attention.

Most of the cases were in Cuba's south-eastern Granma province, more than 750 km (470 mi) from Havana. Hundreds of medical professionals from that area, including nurses, have worked and continue to work with patients in Haiti, where tens of thousands of people were infected after a devastating earthquake in 2010.

But the BBC's Sarah Rainsford says that for over a week doctors in Havana have been doing the rounds of their patients, checking for symptoms of cholera. The infirm, elderly, and pregnant have been prioritised.

Now tests on a 60-year-old woman, admitted to hospital on Wed 4 Jul 2012 have confirmed that she has the disease. As she was diagnosed early, doctors say she is in a stable condition.

The Health Ministry said the last reported cholera outbreak on the island was soon after the 1959 Revolution.

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Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall

[The total number of cases in Granma Province in the southern part of Cuba has been reported to be as few as 50 and as many as "thousands" with deaths of between 3 and 15 Cubans due to cholera.

This report confirms a case of cholera in the country's capital Havana, in La Habana Province in the northwest part of the island without reported cases in the area between the provinces. It is not stated if the index case in Havana is an O1 _V. cholerae_ or one of the non-O1, non-O139 _V. cholerae_ that generally (but not always) cause less diarrhea and are not thought to cause substantial outbreaks. - Mod.LL

A HealthMap/ProMED-mail map can be accessed at: http://healthmap.org/r/2J2C.]

See Also

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (25): Cuba (GR) possible spread 20120707.1193285
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (24): Cuba (GR) 20120703.1188755
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (23): Cuba (GR) RFI 20120702.1187070
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (22): Haiti 20120621.1173083
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (18): Haiti, Dom Rep 20120523.1142303
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (16): Haiti, st switch 20120503.1121767
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (15): Haiti 20120502.1120308
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (14): DR 20120425.1112450
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (13): DR, Haiti 20120423.1107228
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (10): Haiti 20120404.1090431
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (04): Africa, Asia, Americas 20120203.1031859
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (02): Haiti (GA) 20120112.1008336
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012: Haiti, DR 20120111.1007086
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