About 45,000 residents of Russia spend their holidays on the Island of Freedom every year. In early July 2012, cases of cholera were observed in Cuba. In this regard, Rospotrebnadzor warns tourists about the observance of personal hygiene and prevention measures.
Since October 2010, a very large cholera epidemic has continued in the region of Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Cases of the importation of this disease were seen in the USA, Spain, Chile, Mexico, Canada. Now the epidemic has reached Cuba. The country's authorities confirm that three people died due to cholera, and the number of cases is increasing every day.
It is also not denied that an outbreak of the disease could have occurred due to infection of drinking water after prolonged downpours and subsequent intense heat. The wells were filled with dirty water from the surface, and local villagers do not use any cleaning filters. Currently, doctors are taking tests from all suspicious sources, some wells are closed and treated with chlorine.
The epidemic began in the southeast of Cuba and has already reached Havana. If the disease is detected early and the person receives the necessary medical care, cholera is treatable. The doctors themselves could have become the sources of the epidemic on the Island of Freedom, as hundreds of specialists from Cuba provided assistance to victims of a dangerous disease in Haiti. As a result of this terrible outbreak of cholera, the total number of cases in the region has exceeded 360,000, of whom 5,500 have died.
Officially, the Cuban authorities announced the start of the epidemic on July 3. At the end of the month, it was announced that its peak was “fading”. An outbreak of this dangerous disease could hit hard on Cuba's tourism business, and this area is one of the most important in the country's economy. The government and doctors are actively working to eliminate the epidemic.
Tourists need to remember the rules that can be read on the Rospotrebnadzor website. Vacationers should use bottled water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene. You cannot buy food on the street or cook your own fish and other seafood.
