A second Massachusetts resident has been diagnosed with cholera and four others are suspected of having the intestinal ailment, state disease trackers reported today.
Like the man treated this week at Massachusetts General Hospital for the disease, the other patients attended a lavish wedding at a resort in the Dominican Republic and fell ill upon returning home. All the patients are recovering, and there is no evidence the disease is spreading in Massachusetts, said Dr. Larry Madoff, director of the Division of Epidemiology and Immunization at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
A young woman complaining of diarrhea — one of the hallmarks of cholera — was treated in the emergency room at Brigham and Women’s Hospital earlier this week and given oral rehydration, said Erin McDonough, spokeswoman for the Boston hospital. Preliminary testing found that the woman, who was not identified because of patient confidentiality laws, had cholera.
Full story: Second cholera case in Mass. diagnosed; 4 others suspected