Wuhan University reports cholera case
A case of cholera was confirmed on Monday in the Chinese city of Wuhan – the site of the first-ever documented Covid infection – with measures to prevent a potential outbreak now in place.
According to a notice from the district health department, published on the WeChat account of Dacheng Wuchang, Wuhan University reported a case of “vomiting and diarrhea, accompanied by low fever” on Saturday evening. Serological tests, conducted by provincial and municipal disease control centers, confirmed cholera.
“After effective diagnosis and treatment, the patient’s condition has been controlled, and the symptoms have disappeared,” the department said.
It stressed that all measures to prevent an outbreak of the disease had been immediately taken, including contact tracing, sample collection, and closing some venues for disinfection.
“No new cases have been found so far,” the health authority said.
It instructed the university to be vigilant when it comes to any infectious diseases this summer and urged it to improve campus hygiene standards.
“The general public is requested to pay attention to personal hygiene, do a good job in self-health monitoring, and do not believe or spread rumors,” the health department stated.
Cholera is classed as a class-A infectious disease in China, alongside bubonic plague. The case detected in Wuhan University is the second confirmed infection this year, after one was found in March. Five patients tested positive for cholera in 2021 with no deaths reported.
News of the infection came as Covid is on the rise again in China.
According to the World Health Organization’s description, cholera is “an extremely virulent disease that can cause severe acute watery diarrhea.” It spreads via contaminated food or water. Most infected people do not have any symptoms, but a minority can develop acute diarrhea with severe dehydration. Cholera is “an easily treatable disease” but, if left untreated, it can kill “within hours.”
In 2020, according to the WHO, the disease caused the deaths of 857 people in 24 countries, but the real number is believed to be much higher.
