February 1

Cholera cases climb to 144 in Venezuela
A total of 144 people are receiving treatment against cholera in Venezuela after contracting the disease in a party in the Dominican Republic on January 22.

Twenty seven patients were hospitalized as they risked dehydration, and 47 were given outpatient treatment. The remaining 70 had no symptoms but received medical treatment to kill the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and prevent them from spreading the disease.

Asymptomatic patients were also given prophylactic treatment because "they were in contact with the pathogenic agent," the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.

Venezuela's Health Minister Eugenia Sader reiterated that the patients treated against cholera are among the group of 450 Venezuelans attending a wedding in the Dominican Republic on January 22 in which "the food was contaminated."

"So far, we have not had a single case of someone being contaminated (with cholera) in Venezuela," the minister stressed. No case of cholera had been reported in the South American country since 2000.

Venezuelan health authorities have only been able to contact a part of the people attending the party. Therefore, the Venezuelan government has urged them to contact health centers as soon as possible, in order to receive treatment and increase epidemiologic surveillance.

February 2

Cholera cases in Venezuela rise to 185
Eugenia Sader, Venezuela's health minister, said that 185 Venezuelan nationals are receiving medical treatment against cholera. So far, there has not been a single case of people contaminated with cholera in Venezuela.

The top health official said that the patients treated against cholera are among the group of 452 people who attended a party in the Dominican Republic on January 22.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment said that it had increased sanitary controls in Venezuelan aqueducts.

February 4

Health Ministry confirms 245 reported events of cholera in Venezuela
Based on a report from the Epidemiological Surveillance Head Office, Ministry of Health released on Friday, reported events of cholera in Venezuela already amount to 245. The events include 28 people requiring inpatient treatment and 61, outpatient treatment. A total of 156 people have received prophylactic treatment despite having no symptoms.

Venezuelan health authorities have requested the 452 people who attended a wedding last Saturday, January 22 in the Dominican Republic to report their cases for the compulsory epidemiological monitoring. All of them are potential carriers of the Vibrio cholerae bacteria. There are 207 people still to show up.

In this regard, José Félix Oletta, the director of the Venezuelan Network of Medical Scientific Societies, deems it a risk that 12 days after the infection remaining potential carriers of the disease have not been identified or treated.