Reply #13: AFP: Haiti outbreak of cholera is most serious strain

[Turborama]

44 mins ago

The cholera outbreak in Haiti blamed for 135 deaths is of a strain that is the most dangerous, Health Minister Alex Larsen said on Friday.

Larsen said tests by the World Health Organization confirmed that the outbreak is of the 01 strain of cholera which is the most deadly and is responsible for most of the outbreaks around the world.

There was no immediate confirmation from WHO officials in Haiti who were carrying out tests.

"We are on maximum alert," said Claude Surena, head of the Haitian Medical Association. "We must mobilize around the clock to help the government deal with this situation."

The news comes with hospitals overflowing with some 1,500 new patients and the country still reeling from an earthquake in January that killed more than 250,000 people and left another 1.2 million homeless.

Full article: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20101022/twl-haiti-outbreak-of-cholera-is-most-se-4bdc673.html