Today’s China Daily reported an outbreak of cholera involving 172 cases in east China's Fujian Province in the past 5 to 6 weeks.

The first case was reported in Fuzhou, the provincial capital, on August 12 and there have been no deaths reported so far, though the numbers of infections were described as the highest in recent years.

The provincial health department said 137 cases have been found in Fuzhou, while the rest are spread through coastal areas. Eighty-three patients have recovered and been released from hospital, all others are in a stable condition.

On August 10, the Ministry of Health said 76 cholera cases were recorded nationally in July, 2.5 times that of the same period last year.

Most patients in the current outbreak said they had eaten seafood in small roadside restaurants. An initial investigation by the province's health and epidemic prevention departments agreed that the outbreak was caused by seafood.

Xu Longshan, an expert from Fujian Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said shellfish eaten raw or undercooked is a potential source of cholera.

The departments have been inspecting more than 100 kinds of seafood in the province in order to confirm the cause, and have requested the establishment of quarantine and inspection stations to enhance supervision of markets and restaurants.

The health department also required hospitals to strengthen monitoring of reported diarrhea and other suspected cases, and provide updates to superior departments.

Cholera is caused through infection with the bacterium Vibrio cholera. Its symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting and muscle cramps, and it can be fatal if left untreated.

The incidence of cholera and other intestinal diseases have remained at low levels over the past three years, but in the case of cholera this has changed in the last few months.

The Ministry of Health announced a plan earlier this month to set up 34 cholera monitoring sites nationwide to uncover new cases in time, confirm the source of outbreaks and increase understanding.

(China Daily September 20, 2005)