The Spanish authorities have identified the first locally transmitted cholera case in more than four decades, regional health authorities said today, although the man infected has already recovered and no other cases have been reported so far.
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A patient was treated in a private healthcare facility in Madrid and later discharged after receiving treatment, a spokesman for Madrid's health authority said, without giving dates of hospitalization or other details.[/P]He became infected after drinking water at a house in Toledo, 75 km south of the capital in the Castilla La Mancha district, and the property has since been closed for safety reasons, according to health officials in the area.
Diarrheal infection
Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by the cholera donacillus bacterium (Vibrio cholerae) and can be fatal if left untreated. It is transmitted mainly by contaminated food and water.
In 1979
The last major locally transmitted cholera outbreak in Spain was in 1979, when 267 cases were reported, mainly in Barcelona and Malaga. Since then, health authorities have recorded only a few imported cases each year.
Regular outbreaks
Regular outbreaks of the disease are not uncommon, especially in developing countries or war zones where treatment is often not available.
According to the World Health Organization, 1.3 to 4 million cases of cholera are reported worldwide every year.
Source: in.gr
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