Cuban authorities report no new cases of cholera

(CNS):  Officials in Cayman said Monday that there have been no new cases of cholera confirmed on the neighbouring island of Cuba for more than three weeks.  Medical Officer of Health Dr Kiran Kumar said that as at 28 August, the Cuban authorities had reported a total of 417 confirmed cholera cases three people had died in Manzanillo province of Granma. Despite the good news that no further cases have been reported the senior public health officials urged anyone travelling to Cuba, Haiti or the Domincan republic who become ill to report their travel history to their doctor.

“A few isolated cases with travel history to Manzanillo were recorded in Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, and La Havana,” Dr Kumar said Monday. “Most cases occurred in adults and all were infected with V. Cholera toxigenic, serogroup 01, serotype Ogawa, biotype El Tor. As of 30 August, no new cholera cases have been confirmed in the country since more than 15 days ago. Nevertheless, the Cuban authorities continue implementing prevention actions and conducting surveillance activities to detect and rapidly contain new outbreaks if they occur.

“While it is good to note that there are no more confirmed cases of Cholera in Cuba the past 15 days, travellers to Cuba are still advised to contact their doctor immediately should they develop watery diarrhoea and vomiting within five days of leaving Cuba. It is also important to state their travel history to their doctor. This advisory is applicable to travellers to Haiti and Dominican Republic including other countries in the region affected by Cholera,” he added.