50 Cubans Infected in Cholera Outbreak

1 case turns up in Havana, far from outbreak source
By Mark Russell,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 8, 2012 7:35 AM CDT
50 Cubans Infected in Cholera Outbreak
A child is treated in a Cuban hospital in this file photo. Cuban medical officials say more than 50 cases of cholera have been detected there.   (Getty Images)

Just days after cholera broke out in Cuba's southeastern city of Manzanillo, a case has been discovered in the capital, Havana, reports the BBC. Authorities say a contaminated well was responsible for the outbreak, which has killed three people and infected 50 so far. Another 1,000 are being treated and four hospitals are prepared to take additional victims, though doctors say the outbreak is under control.

Cholera has not broken out in Cuba since 1959 and heath care officials are not sure where this outbreak came from. But with hundreds of Cuban doctors, nurses, and health professionals having worked in Haiti, where cholera exploded in 2010, many believe that is the most likely source. (More cholera stories.)

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