Kuwait Reports First Cholera Case

DOHA (Sputnik) - Kuwait has registered the first case of cholera, in a citizen who recently returned from a neighboring country, which is suffering from an outbreak of the infection, the Ministry of Health said.

The infected citizen has been isolated and received treatment at a hospital, the ministry said in a Friday statement, cited by the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

The health ministry ruled out the possibility of a cholera outbreak in Kuwait, but advised citizens to exercise caution and avoid unsafe water and food sources.

Cholera is an acute bacterial infection transmitted through contaminated food or water. Symptoms include severe diarrhea. A person can potentially die from the illness within hours if left untreated, but most people recover after exhibiting only mild symptoms, with the help of oral rehydration solutions.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), each year there are between 1.3 and 4 million cases of cholera worldwide, and between 21,000 and 143,000 deaths from the infection.

Iraq and Syria are currently suffering from cholera outbreaks. This month, the number of confirmed cholera cases in Syria neared 1,400 while the country’s death toll from the infection reached 49.