Cholera case confirmed in Poland
An elderly patient has been diagnosed with cholera in the north-western city of Stargard, Poland's chief sanitary inspector has announced.
Pawel Grzesiowski, who made the announcement on Sunday, told the TVN24 private broadcaster that neither the woman nor her relatives had traveled outside Poland. He added that over 20 persons, who had been in contact with the patient, had been put in quarantine.
Grzesiowski said that the woman had suffered from severe diarrhea, and that the diagnosis had been confirmed by two separate tests.
He added that cholera cases in Poland usually involved people returning from abroad. Because of the disease's high contagiousness, the patient had been transferred to a specialised infectious diseases hospital in the nearby city of Szczecin.
Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and spreads primarily through contaminated water. It causes severe diarrhea and dehydration, which can be fatal without appropriate treatment. It is treated with antibiotics and intensive rehydration therapy. (PAP)
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