Cholera Comes to US: Fla. Woman Who Visited Haiti Is Diagnosed

(Nov. 17) -- It's bad, and it's spreading.

A Florida woman has been diagnosed with cholera after returning home from a visit to her family's home in Haiti, The Miami Herald reports. This marks the first case of the highly contagious disease in the United States since an epidemic spread through Haiti in the past few weeks.

So far, cholera has been blamed in the deaths of nearly 1,000 Haitians, and an additional 9,000 residents have been sickened. The Dominican Republic sealed its border with Haiti following the initial outbreak, but cases have since been confirmed there.

The Florida woman is said to be doing well, according to Florida's Department of Health's Bureau of Epidemiology, and is being treated at a local hospital. Collier County Health Officials confirmed the diagnosis of cholera, and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting testing, the Herald reported.

According to the St. Petersburg Times, Florida health officials are investigating other possible cases in the state who stress that chances of a full blown outbreak in the United States are minimal due to high water quality and sanitation standards.

Cholera is often contracted and spread by people who consume contaminated water.


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