Cholera Reaches Dominican Republic

The cholera epidemic that swept through Haiti in weeks previously has finally crossed Haitian borders into the Dominican Republic. According to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, the first reported case of cholera was brought into the Dominican Republic via a Haitian immigrant who was visiting from his hailing country.

The 32-year-old construction worker, Bautista Rojas, is being held under quarantine near the town of Higuey and is being treated. This is the first reported case of cholera in over a century, making this a sudden and ferocious onslaught of the infectious disease. The Haitian government, meanwhile has reported an estimated toll of 1,034 deaths of the ever-rapidly spreading epidemic.

In the midst of the growing death-toll, the Haitian Government and the UN are urging protestors to cease protests and accusations that peacemakers purposely infected the country with cholera. At least one man has been fatally shot during protests and there are reports by BBC News that gunshots echo through the streets of the Haitian capitol of Port-au-Prince, as well as burning tire barricades to keep people out of certain areas.

According to the UN, the accusations of the cholera being brought in by peacekeepers from Nepal are unfounded and unsupportable. The area initially affected by the disease was not the area that was hit by the January earthquake, which claimed more than 230,000 lives, according to Hindustan Times. The region primarily affected by the cholera outbreak is one that is known to be of low living quality and poor hygiene, reports the periodical. As of November 17, the cholera epidemic has infected nearly 15,000 Hatians and has killed over 1000.

A Brief Look at Cholera
A highly contagious, infectious disease, cholera is all but nonexistent in modern countries and civilizations. It's ordinarily spread through bacteria-contaminated water and causes a myriad of symptoms from diarrhea and dehydration to chills, fever and death. If left untreated, cholera becomes fatal within days and even hours in extreme cases.

Perhaps the saddest part of Haiti's current epidemic of cholera, is that it is a very easily treatable disease. The symptoms are easily treated with over-the-counter medications in many cases such as using electrolytes to control symptoms of dehydration. Unfortunately, poverty-stricken regions do not have these medical conveniences readily available to them, which causes the fatality count of the Haiti epidemic to continue to skyrocket and overflow into bordering countries of similar economical makeup.

The Mayo Clinic reports that the last known outbreak of cholera in North America occurred in 1911, but as of November 17, 2010 the first known case since the Haitian epidemic has crossed into the state of Florida. With the recent outbreaks reaching the Dominican Republic via immigration, it is important to know the symptoms associated with this potentially fatal illness. The Center for Disease Control also provides a wide range of information for readers who are interested in knowing about the symptoms, treatments and risks associated with cholera.