From the H5N1 Blog: Recent cholera outbreak in Cuba

Cuba: 14 "suspected cholera" cases in Manatí

Thanks to Lucie Lecomte for sending the link to the report in Martínoticias.com, a dissident website: Manatí: catorce casos de “sospecha de cólera”. [Manatí: 14 cases of "suspected cholera"] Excerpt, with my translation:

En el municipio de Manatí, provincia Las Tunas, se han reportado catorce casos de "sospecha de cólera" ingresados en el hospital municipal, y tres casos en el hospital infantil de la misma localidad, donde esta semana es muy probable que se decrete la fase de cuarentena debido a que se ha propagado considerablemente la enfermedad en la zona, afirmó en el programa Cuba al día de Martinoticias, el periodista independiente José Agramonte, quien se enteró gracias a la información que le suministró Yelaini Vargas Betancourt, integrante de la Alianza Democrática Oriental.

Fourteen cases of "suspected cholera" have been reported in the municipality of Manatí, Las Tunas province. They've been admitted to the municipal hospital, along with three cases in the local children's hospital. It's very likely that a quaratine will be declared because the disease has spread considerably through the region. This was stated in the Martinoticias program "Cuba Daily" by independent journalist José Agramonte, who reported information received from Yelain Vargas Betancourt, a member of the Eastern Democratic Alliance.

Agramonte señaló también, que "en este momento sigue el control sanitario en diferentes localidades de lo que es la ciudad de Camagüey, (…) en el sistema carcelario, fundamentalmente Kilo 7 y Kilo 8, que son las prisiones provincial y nacional de Cuba, aquí en Camagüey, y que han decretado la fase de cuarentena. Es decir, que en estos centros penitenciarios no se puede pasar ningún producto alimenticio cocinado, casero. Todos los productos tienen que ser sellados".

Agramonte also said that "At the moment there's sanitary control in different localities in the city of Camagüey, and in Kilo 7 and Kilo 8, which are the provincial and national prisons, here in Camagüey, and they've declared a quarantine. That is, in the penitentiaries you can't bring in any home-cooked food. All products have to be sealed."

Agramonte dijo que varias personas se le han acercado para comunicarle lo que está ocurriendo, ya que saben la labor informativa que realizan los periodistas independientes. "Nosotros confirmamos la noticia. Tenemos fuentes dentro de la misma Dirección de Salud Pública que nos mantienen al tanto de toda la situación epidemiológica".

Agramonte said several persons have approached her to tell her this is going on, now that they understand the work that independent journalists do. "We confirmed the report. We have sources inside the Directorate of Public Health that keep us informed of the whole epidemiological situation."

Además, lamentó que el Gobierno considere el asunto del cólera como un secreto de Estado, "porque la verdadera verdad, es que lo que sucede dentro de un país debe conocerlo la población en general".

As well, she regretted that the government considers the matter of cholera a state secret, "Because the truth is, what happens inside a country should be known by the general public."

In this connection, Lucie Lecomte has also sent the link to the official Cuban government website on cholera. It's pretty good, with extensive reports on cholera outbreaks elsewhere in the world. But the only local cholera story is from last January, saying the Havana outbreak is "practically over."