Cholera confirmed in Havana, Cuba
A private taxi drives along a street on Sept. 28, 2011 in Havana.
Cuban health officials verified Tuesday a small cholera outbreak in Havana, the capital city of Cuba, the largest occurrence of the disease on the island nation in decades.
In August authorities confirmed the potentially deadly disease was gone, but a new statement by the Cuban Health Ministry today said 51 cases had been confirmed. "Fifty-one cases have been confirmed to date," the statement read.
It's unclear if anyone has died, according to CNN. However, the BBC reported a 46-year-old man died early January of what they suspect to be cholera.
Doctors are going door to door in and around Havana, a city of 2.2 million residents, looking for symptoms, the BBC reported.
Speaking to with a ministry official and doctor, Reuters reported the disease was contracted at a baseball game at the Latin American Stadium in Cerro.
"We know what happened. Either the pork sandwiches or Tan Rico soda pop was contaminated at a game earlier this month," the official told Reuters.
The World Health Organization states "an estimated 3–5 million cholera cases and 100 000–120 000 deaths due to cholera every year."
The good news is that "up to 80% of cases can be successfully treated with oral rehydration salts."
More on GlobalPost: Cuba mute in the time of cholera
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!