Missouriwatcher
Editor, Senior Moderator
"...This report describes cases of cholera identified in the Dominican Republic and United States and provides recommendations to physicians regarding management of travel-related cases...
Dominican Republic
...Through December 18, a total of 399 suspected cases were reported; laboratory testing was performed for at least 327 of these cases. V. cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa was identified in 59 cases; the majority of negative test results were attributed to other enteric pathogens for which testing is not performed routinely. Three confirmed cases were attributed to importation from Haiti, one each in the provinces of La Altagracia, Independencia and Monte Cristi. The remaining 56 confirmed cases occurred in the provinces of Santiago (19), San Juan (11), El?as Pi?a (10), Santo Domingo (10), Dajab?n (two), Valverde (two), Independencia (one), and Monte Cristi (one). These 56 cases, with no known association with travel from Haiti, were attributed to local transmission. Of the 59 confirmed cases, 46 (78%) resulted in hospitalization; no fatalities have been confirmed.
Three separate outbreaks of cholera, involving 19 of the 59 confirmed cases, were identified and investigated in the Dominican Republic...
United States
...As of December 18, a total of 13 cases had been investigated by the Florida Department of Health. V. cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa was isolated from stool specimens of five patients at Florida laboratories. All five developed symptoms during October 23--November 29, either while in Haiti or on the day of arrival in Florida from Haiti...
Isolates from four confirmed cases in the Dominican Republic and all five Florida cases were sent to CDC for confirmation and additional characterization. All were confirmed as toxigenic V. cholerae O1, serotype Ogawa, biotype El Tor, and matched the Haiti outbreak strain by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis..."
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5950a1.htm?s_cid=mm5950a1_w
Dominican Republic
...Through December 18, a total of 399 suspected cases were reported; laboratory testing was performed for at least 327 of these cases. V. cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa was identified in 59 cases; the majority of negative test results were attributed to other enteric pathogens for which testing is not performed routinely. Three confirmed cases were attributed to importation from Haiti, one each in the provinces of La Altagracia, Independencia and Monte Cristi. The remaining 56 confirmed cases occurred in the provinces of Santiago (19), San Juan (11), El?as Pi?a (10), Santo Domingo (10), Dajab?n (two), Valverde (two), Independencia (one), and Monte Cristi (one). These 56 cases, with no known association with travel from Haiti, were attributed to local transmission. Of the 59 confirmed cases, 46 (78%) resulted in hospitalization; no fatalities have been confirmed.
Three separate outbreaks of cholera, involving 19 of the 59 confirmed cases, were identified and investigated in the Dominican Republic...
United States
...As of December 18, a total of 13 cases had been investigated by the Florida Department of Health. V. cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa was isolated from stool specimens of five patients at Florida laboratories. All five developed symptoms during October 23--November 29, either while in Haiti or on the day of arrival in Florida from Haiti...
Isolates from four confirmed cases in the Dominican Republic and all five Florida cases were sent to CDC for confirmation and additional characterization. All were confirmed as toxigenic V. cholerae O1, serotype Ogawa, biotype El Tor, and matched the Haiti outbreak strain by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis..."
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5950a1.htm?s_cid=mm5950a1_w
