49 treated for cholera in San Cristobal

Santo Domingo.- Two pregnant women are hospitalized with cholera in theJuan Pablo Pina Hospital in San Cristóbal, where 49patients have been treated for the disease over the past few days.

This cholera outbreak that has forcedthe health authorities to use the hospital chapel to accommodate patients.

Verónica Peña, 21, who is 38 weeks pregnant, was admitted on Sunday in astate of critical dehydration, but was stable by yesterday.

Johanny Germán, 25, is two months pregnant and is also in a stablecondition. According to the health authorities, the outbreak was caused by aserious contamination that affected the neighbourhoods of Los Molinas, LasFlores, Puerto Rico, Barrio Nuevo and 5 de Abril, as there is a lot of waste inthe Yubazo River.

The director of the Juan Pablo Pina Hospital, Miguel Geraldino, blamedthe outbreak on drinking water sold from tankers, which according to him becomes contaminated when it ispoorly handled by the distributors.

He said that since Saturday 18 August 25 men and 24 women have beenadmitted with cholera symptoms, but that so far no deaths have been registered.

Geraldino said that the ages of the patients ranges from less than one year toover 65.

He said that yesterday three more patients arrived and that five arehospitalized.