Today’s China Daily reported an outbreak of
cholera involving 172 cases in east China's Fujian
Province in the past 5 to 6 weeks.
The first case was reported in Fuzhou, the
provincial capital, on August 12 and there have been no deaths
reported so far, though the numbers of infections were described as
the highest in recent years.
The provincial health department said 137 cases
have been found in Fuzhou, while the rest are spread through
coastal areas. Eighty-three patients have recovered and been
released from hospital, all others are in a stable condition.
On August 10, the Ministry of Health said 76
cholera cases were recorded nationally in July, 2.5 times that of
the same period last year.
Most patients in the current outbreak said they had
eaten seafood in small roadside restaurants. An initial
investigation by the province's health and epidemic prevention
departments agreed that the outbreak was caused by seafood.
Xu Longshan, an expert from Fujian Provincial
Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said shellfish eaten raw
or undercooked is a potential source of cholera.
The departments have been inspecting more than 100
kinds of seafood in the province in order to confirm the cause, and
have requested the establishment of quarantine and inspection
stations to enhance supervision of markets and restaurants.
The health department also required hospitals to
strengthen monitoring of reported diarrhea and other suspected
cases, and provide updates to superior departments.
Cholera is caused through infection with the
bacterium Vibrio cholera. Its symptoms include diarrhea,
vomiting and muscle cramps, and it can be fatal if left
untreated.
The incidence of cholera and other intestinal
diseases have remained at low levels over the past three years, but
in the case of cholera this has changed in the last few months.
The Ministry of Health announced a plan earlier
this month to set up 34 cholera monitoring sites nationwide to
uncover new cases in time, confirm the source of outbreaks and
increase understanding.
(China Daily September 20, 2005)