South Korea confirms second cholera case in a week

By Park Sae-jin Posted : August 25, 2016, 10:45 Updated : August 25, 2016, 10:45

[Aju News DB]


South Korea on Thursday reported the second case of cholera in a week
as health authorities activated an emergency quarantine control system to prevent an epidemic.

The state-run Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a 73-year-old woman from the southern island of Koje was infected with cholera, two days after it confirmed the first case in 15 years.

The two patients showed symptoms of the disease after eating marine products on the same island. The health agency said Monday that a 58-year-old man was infected with cholera. The man has been sent home after being treated.

It's the first time that a South Korean citizen has been infected with the disease without traveling abroad. Since 2003, all cholera cases in South Korea had come from abroad. South Korea saw the highest number of cholera cases in 2001 when 162 people were infected. 

Cholera infection can come from drinking contaminated food or groundwater, such as cholera-contaminated fish, shellfish or water. Symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, muscle cramps and dehydration, while severe cases can lead to deaths.

Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com 
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