Cholera case diagnosed in Oman: Health ministry

MUSCAT: Omani health authorities have urged caution after a woman who had visited Iraq was found to be infected with cholera, local media reported yesterday. “The Omani woman who was diagnosed with the disease had visited Iraq recently,” the local Times of Oman daily quoted the health ministry as saying. “The patient is receiving treatment in one of the health institutions in the sultanate” and her condition is stable, it added. “The ministry will continue to pursue precautionary measures for some more time,” the ministry said, urging Omanis to ensure they follow strict hygiene guidelines.

Iraqi health authorities launched a major vaccination campaign this month to combat a cholera outbreak that has infected more than 2,200 people, raising fears of a possible spread to neighboring Gulf countries. Many Shiites in Oman and other Gulf countries travel for pilgrimage in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf. Authorities in Iraq have blamed the cholera outbreak mostly on the poor quality of water caused by the low level of the Euphrates. After a short incubation period of two to five days, cholera causes severe diarrhea, draining the body of its water.

The vaccination campaign in Iraq is focused on people displaced by conflict including the war with the Islamic State group. The United Nations says the number of people displaced by conflict in Iraq since the start of 2014 has topped 3.2 million. — AFP