Cholera in Collier County
November 17th, 2010 by flanewsAn outbreak of cholera in Haiti has killed 11-hundred people there… and now tonight, we are learning of a case in Florida.
The state Department of Health confirmed a Collier County woman returning from Haiti has the disease. Cholera is a diarrheal disease caused by a bacterial infection of the intestine. People with the infection can sometimes have no complications or have extreme diarrhea and vomiting. In extreme cases cholera can cause death by dehydration. Tom Torok, a spokesman with the Department of Health, says people who visit Haiti need to be on the lookout for symptoms.
“Our advice for people returning from Haiti; if they develop a diarrheal illness they need to talk to their physician,” said Torok.
The department is also reporting 60 cases of Dengue fever. This disease is carried by mosquitoes. Florida hasn’t seen a case of Dengue in 60 years, but this summer it was reported in Key West. Now there’s a case in Miami.
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