Venezuela: Cholera Cases on the Rise · Global Voices
Patricia Acosta

During a wedding held in the Dominican Republic, a group of Venezuelans were diagnosed with symptoms of cholera after eating contaminated food; most of those affected were diagnosed with cholera in Venezuela, once they arrived in the country, and were quickly hospitalized in public and private hospitals. What were initially 13 cases has increased rapidly within a few days.
Chronology of a disease spreading quickly
On January 26, the Minister of Health, Eugenia Sader, confirmed [es] several cases of cholera in the country. The same day, Adriana (@Cotidiana) reports:
Trece (13) venezolanos llegaron enfermos de cólera de República Dominicana. Todos están hospitalizados
On January 27, Venezolana de Televisón (VTV) –a state-run television network– on its Twitter account (@vtvcanal8) informs that,
452 venezolanos habrían asistido a celebración en República Dominicana el 22 de enero, de estos 3% podría presentar síntomas de cólera
On January 28, Joce Taboada (@Jocetaboada) reacts to that day's number of reported cases:
Epa! #quefuerte—-> Van 111 casos de cólera en el país – http://bit.ly/h6xoP7
The day after, on January 29, the online news site La Patilla (@La_patilla) tweets:
Aumenta a 116 casos de cólera en Venezuela http://bit.ly/gUe9EW
Marietta Pareira (@maripereira_542), on January 30, says:
118 afectados por cólera han recibido tratamiento http://bit.ly/gUe9EW“#aychiamo
That same day, from the city of Maracaibo, Friorella Di Fiore (@fioredifiore) links to the most recent news:
Ya son 135 los tratados contra el cólera http://bit.ly/hCHfim“
Taking precautions
Maria M. Vizcaino (@mechevizcaino) warns:
Noo se puede comer en la calleeee.. Entiendanlooo!!!!!!!!!! Hay colera!
Juan Díaz (@juandiazyaracuy) suggests:
Si vas a comer carne, pollo, huevo o pescado, cocínalos muy bien. Evita el cólera. Más información: 0-800 VIGILAN (8444526)
Dr. Rigoberto J. Marcano Pasquier (@rimarcan) titles an article with information about the infection in La Patilla [es]: “Cholera, a bacterium that can quickly take your life.”
In the blog Frente Ecológico PSUV [es], Dr. Julio Castro, en expert in infectious diseases and a professor at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), informed that the cholera situation in Venezuela,
“es una situación de preacaución, más que de alerta, por lo que hay que cumplir las medidas respectivas y evitar así una epidemia”.
The number of reported cases has been on the rise. Venezuelans expect it to in fact be an “outbreak,” as stated by the government, although the current amount of people infected with cholera –135 out of the 452 present, according to the latest reports– has far exceeded the 3% initially expected.