Emerging Infectious Diseases (Jun 2001)

Cholera Outbreak in Southern Tanzania: Risk Factors and Patterns of Transmission

  • Camilo J. Acosta,
  • Claudia M. Galindo,
  • John Kimario,
  • Kesheni Senkoro,
  • Honorathy Urassa,
  • Climent Casals,
  • Manuel Corachán,
  • N. Eseko,
  • Marcel Tanner,
  • Hassan Mshinda,
  • Fred Lwilla,
  • Jordi Vila,
  • Pedro L. Alonso

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid0707.017741
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 7
pp. 583 – 587

Abstract

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To identify risk factors and describe the pattern of spread of the 1997 cholera epidemic in a rural area (Ifakara) in southern Tanzania, we conducted a prospective hospital-based, matched case-control study, with analysis based on the first 180 cases and 360 matched controls. Bathing in the river, long distance to water source, and eating dried fish were significantly associated with risk for cholera. Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1, biotype El Tor, serotype Ogawa, was isolated in samples from Ifakara's main water source and patients' stools. DNA molecular analyses showed identical patterns for all isolates.

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