1st cholera outbreak confirmed in 15 years

By Jung Min-ho

The government confirmed Korea’s first cholera outbreak in 15 years, Tuesday.

A 59-year-old man in the southwestern city of Gwangju was confirmed Monday to have been infected with the acute diarrheal disease, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

Given that the patient has no overseas travel records and cholera has a short incubation period (up to five days), the KCDC believes he is the first person since 2001 to be infected with the disease on Korean soil. There have been several other cases since 2001 but all the patients contracted the disease in other countries.

The KCDC is now conducting an epidemiologic investigation, while keeping him in isolation.

“He recently visited restaurants on the south coast with his family. We suspect that some of the food there was contaminated,” said Jung Ki-suk, director of the KCDC, in a media briefing at KCDC headquarters in Osong, North Chungcheong Province. “We will determine the direct cause of the infection after investigating all the restaurants he visited.”

The official said the patient is recovering quickly in an isolation ward and other family members have not shown any symptoms of cholera.

Cholera is caused by some strains of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The classic symptom is watery diarrhea that lasts a few days, leaving the patient dehydrated. It can be halted with simple rehydration fluids, although some serious cases may result in death.

“The disease can be easily treated with proper care,” Jung said. “It also can easily be contained because cholera is not airborne. There might be additional cases. However, it is very unlikely to develop as a major epidemic, given the high level of Korea’s infrastructure.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), up to 80 percent of cholera patients can be treated successfully through prompt administration of oral rehydration salts.

Cholera is spread mostly by contaminated water, and most cases occur in underdeveloped countries that lack proper water treatment. For this reason, the severity of the disease typically indicates the level of development.

“The case was totally unexpected,” Jung said. “The heat wave over the past few weeks may have helped create a better environment for such germs to multiply. We urge the public to pay extra attention to personal hygiene and be careful about what they eat and drink.”

Cholera was a major health threat in Korea when the country was less developed in the 20th century. However, the disease disappeared from headlines as the country’s infrastructure and sanitation improved. The latest epidemic occurred in 2001, when 142 cases were confirmed within a month.

According to the WHO, about 1.4 million to 4.3 million cholera cases occur worldwide annually, and as many as 142,000 people die from it each year.