Cholera returns to Vietnam

2008-03-15 14:48

Hanoi - Vietnam has confirmed the return of a cholera outbreak in Hanoi, where at least seven people have been infected with the bacteria over the last ten days, said reports on Saturday.

More than 40 people had been taken to hospital for acute diarrhoea and seven of whom tested positive for cholera, Tien Phong newspaper quoted the Ministry of Health's National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology as saying.

The newspaper said most of the patients had eaten raw shrimp paste and uncooked vegetables. None had been vaccinated against cholera.

Late last year, more than 300 people were infected with cholera in an outbreak that expanded to 11 provinces in northern Vietnam. The outbreak prompted local authorities to ban a popular fermented shrimp paste, which was blamed for half of the cases.

No deaths were reported in last year's outbreak, although health officials warned that dehydration could kill patients if not treated immediately.

Cholera chiefly spreads through drinking water or eating food contaminated with the cholera bacteria.

Sapa-dpa

- SAPA