A sample taken from a child who returned to Estonia from abroad with family is being analyzed at the Health Board’s infectious diseases laboratory, with initial testing confirming cholera.
The child who was hospitalized in Tallinn at the beginning of the week has symptoms that could indicate both cholera and other intestinal infections, but the results of a more detailed analysis should be available by the second half of the week. The infection occurred abroad, therefore there is no risk of domestic transmission.
Kärt Sõber, head of the epidemiology department of the Health Board, explained that the child who initially tested positive for cholera was in a foreign country with their family, where the child developed a fever at the end of last week, followed by diarrhea a few days later.
The family returned to Tallinn by plane, and one of the parents, accompanied by the sick child, went to the hospital where they were placed in isolation. On Tuesday, another child from the family was hospitalized with similar symptoms and has been isolated with other family members. Although the initial PCR test indicates cholera, it is not known which serogroup or how toxic it is. The analysis of the sample that reached the Health Board’s laboratory should be available by Thursday.
The Health Board conducted an epidemiological survey and currently assesses the likelihood of further spread of the infection as rather low, since the family’s contacts with other people were minimal. The incident has been reported to the Estonian Association of Family Physicians and hospitals. Additionally, the Health Board’s northern regional department has informed the airline and other countries. The airline will in turn notify passengers about potential exposure to the infected person.
The risk to airline passengers is considered low because cholera does not spread through the air but rather through contaminated surfaces, such as toilet facilities previously used by an infected person. The Health Board advises passengers who have received the notification to monitor their health for five days and adhere strictly to hygiene rules, particularly hand washing.
The last case of cholera in Estonia was in 1993, which was also an imported case. Cholera is considered a dangerous infectious disease with an incubation period of one to five days, typically two to three days. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, fluid loss leading to decreased body temperature and blood pressure, and possibly cramps. Muscle weakness and cardiac abnormalities may also accompany the illness. Up to 70 percent of infected individuals experience mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. The severity of the disease depends on whether it is caused by a toxic strain or not.
Source: BNS
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