Cholera is on the Rise--Outbreaks in Cuba~Southern Somalia~Phillipines Update 7/18/12

A youtube video was sent to my email today called "BASEBALL IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA".

"Baseball in The Time of Cholera is a powerful insight into the tragedy and scandal of Haiti's Cholera epidemic through the eyes of a young baseball player."

Watching it brought smiles and much sadness to me.

It's main purpose is to bring awareness to the devastating cholera outbreak in Haiti in 2010 and part of the story is told through a delightful young man who loves baseball.

I'll post the link but, as I said, it can be a heart-wrencher:

[link to www.youtube.com]


After watching the video, I decided to see where cholera is a problem.

This is what I found:

Cuban cholera outbreak widens, reported cases hits 158

The Cuban government broke 11 days of silence Saturday on the country’s first cholera outbreak in 130 years, noting the number of cases has risen to 158, though no new deaths were reported.

The Health Ministry denied there had been a “spread” of cholera on the Communist-ruled island, blaming the incidents outside the affected town of Manzanillo on “isolated cases,” that would be “treated and studied promptly.”

“This outbreak is not spreading,” it said in a statement, the second on the outbreak since July 3.

While the authorities had kept their silence on cholera, anti-Castro websites based in Miami and some international media published reports about the spread of the disease, saying there had been numerous deaths.

Read more here:
[link to www.rawstory.com]

Then I found this one:

WHO: Cholera Rising in Southern Somalia

LONDON -- The World Health Organization said Friday that cholera is on the rise in Kismayo, an al-Shabab-held town in southern Somalia.

At one Kismayo health facility, WHO officials say a rapid test found that six-in-10 patients had cholera, 65 of whom have since been treated.

"It's a worrying sign so far, we will have to see what happens now in the next couple of days," says WHO spokesperson Pieter Desloovere. "But it may be an alert that something more is happening on the ground."

The WHO says Kismayo General Hospital has reported around 650 suspected cholera cases since the beginning of this year, with 40 cases reported weekly since May.

Read more here:
[link to www.turkishweekly.net]


And then this:

DOH: Cholera in Bicol reaches epidemic level

LEGAZPI CITY—An alert status was raised in Bicol following a sharp rise in the incidence of cases and in the number of deaths due to cholera from January to July this year compared with the same period last year, which health authorities said have reached “epidemic levels.”

Dr. Nestor Santiago, director of the Department of Health (DOH) in Bicol, said in an e-mailed report on Friday that data gathered by the DOH Epidemiology Surveillance Unit from various government and private hospitals in the region showed 30 deaths and 3,158 persons sick of cholera from January to July this year.

He said the number represented a 610-percent increase compared with the same period last year when there were only 445 cases recorded in the six provinces and four deaths in Albay and one in Sorsogon.

“Alarmed by the surging incidence of cholera cases, health authorities declared an epidemic,” Santiago said. He said cholera is due to bacteria caused by eating dirty food and drinking contaminated water.

Read more here:

[link to newsinfo.inquirer.net]

As a Christian, my first thought is to pray--for those affected with this disease and that this medical condition is brought under control.

I would ask that others please do the same.

The other concern is for those who travel.

If you plan to visit any of these countries, the CDC lists a number of measures on their website to help reduce the risk of getting sick.

[link to wwwnc.cdc.gov]

Last Edited by KoFFee_ on 07/18/2012 01:27 AM