2 suspected cholera cases found in Salt Lake County


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SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake County Health Department is investigating two suspected cases of cholera.

Two people were identified with cholera-like symptoms Friday, but tests remain unconfirmed, according to Nicholas Rupp with the Salt Lake County Health Department. Official confirmation must come from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which monitors infectious disease outbreaks throughout the world. Lab samples were sent to the CDC earlier this week.

It is unknown whether the individuals in Utah have been hospitalized, but Rupp said they are "doing well" and receiving medical attention. Cholera is not contagious between people and is only transferred by eating or drinking contaminated food or water.

Therefore, the two cases in Utah are "not a risk to the general public," Rupp said.

Cholera is rare in the U.S., as water systems are mostly clean, though the disease still affects people in underdeveloped nations and throughout Southeast Asia, Africa and Haiti. Rupp said eating shellfish that is harvested off the coasts of the U.S. comes with some risk, but the health department already recommends eating foods only after they have been cooked thoroughly.

What is cholera and what are the symptoms?

Cholera is a bacterial disease usually spread through contaminated water. Cholera causes severe diarrhea and dehydration. Left untreated, cholera can be fatal in a matter of hours, even in previously healthy people.

Symptoms

  • profuse watery diarrhea, sometimes described as "rice-water stools"
  • vomiting
  • rapid heart rate
  • loss of skin elasticity
  • dry mucous membranes
  • low blood pressure
  • thirst
  • muscle cramps
  • restlessness or irritability

Sources: mayoclinic.org, CDC.gov

Symptoms of cholera include profuse diarrhea and vomiting, among others, which can cause severe dehydration, requiring hospitalization. Rupp said the majority of cases don't result in obvious or severe symptoms, and treatment most often involves oral rehydration therapy, and in more severe cases, intravenous therapy is needed.

Cholera is one of dozens of diseases required to be reported to the state health department. The last confirmed case of cholera in Salt Lake County was in 2000. The state health department, which classifies the disease differently, reports the latest two confirmed cases in Utah in 1993.

The disease spread quickly among Mormon pioneers coming to Utah between 1849 and 1855, according to BYU Studies. Victims, including many also headed to California and Oregon, were part of the world's second major reported pandemic of cholera and, historically, one of just two outbreaks that affected parts of North America.

More information on cholera and how it is spread can be found online at www.health.utah.gov/epi/diseases/cholera/.

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Wendy Leonard

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