NewsWhore
01-28-2011, 04:20 PM
On Thursday, the Minister of Public Health Bautista Gomez Rojas confirmed that there had been 14 cases of cholera in the DR (nine Venezuelans and five Dominicans) from around 450 people attending a wedding at a villa in Casa de Campo, La Romana last Saturday. As of yesterday, only one person was still in the hospital. Three Dominicans were treated at the Hospiten and Abreu clinics in Santo Domingo.
The villa belongs to the Mendoza family, owners of the Polar brewery in Venezuela. The Cisneros family denied initial local press reports that the wedding had been at one of their properties.
The confirmation comes after the story broke in Venezuela on Wednesday, when a press conference was called by the Venezuelan Health Minister that 37 cases of cholera had been reported in Venezuela and were traced to Venezuelans returning from an event in the DR. The Mendoza family is known for its differences with President Hugo Chavez, who was the first to break the news story.
www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/19/1736645/chavez-threatens-to-take-over.html (http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/19/1736645/chavez-threatens-to-take-over.html)
Gomez Rojas said that while the Ministry immediately alerted the Ministry of Public Health in Venezuela about the suspected cholera infection, it did not release the news locally while waiting for confirmation and more information on the possible source. Throughout the process it followed the International Sanitary Ruling to which the country is a signatory. The Ministry routinely reports once a week on cholera cases.
This is the first multi-case outbreak to occur. All those affected are known to have recovered.
Several of those attending the wedding had traveled back to their home countries, primarily Venezuela. A wedding guest reportedly attended the emergency room at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston upon returning, but his symptoms had already eased.
The Minister of Public Health said the situation was quickly subject to control protocols to prevent the disease from spreading. All those attending the event were notified.
He said that the guests who ate lobster at the party were the only ones to have been affected. An investigation revealed that the contamination came from a lobster dish when a leftover batch was tested, out of about 25 dishes served at the wedding. The contamination is believed to be the result of inadequate refrigeration during transportation and inappropriate cooking. The lobster came from Pedernales, on the border with Haiti. Pedernales is known for the best lobster in the country.
Gomez Rojas said that as soon as the outbreak was suspected, authorities in Venezuela and the Pan-American Health Organization offices in Washington, D.C. were notified. He said the private party took place on Saturday and the incubation period was 8 to 48 hours.
According to local news reports, Fernando Hazoury, one of the owners of Cap Cana, and Manuel Enrique Peynado, son of late senator Jacinto Peynado were hospitalized after attending the party and have since recovered.
The lobster was served by a third party caterer, not by Casa de Campo itself. In an official statement, Casa de Campo confirmed the outbreak and said that the wedding had used an independent caterer. Casa de Campo has just completed the installation of a US$12 million state-of-the-art kitchen facility to guarantee food service to their customers.
The Ministry of Tourism reported that so far, the effects of the cholera outbreak in Haiti has not affected the flow of tourism with 4.12 million air arrivals recorded last year, up 3%, making the DR the leading destination of 28 in the Caribbean. Hotels are reporting high occupancy rates.
For an overview on cholera and travelers, see www.dr1.com/travelnews/archive/2010/tnews120710.html (http://www.dr1.com/travelnews/archive/2010/tnews120710.html)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#3)
The villa belongs to the Mendoza family, owners of the Polar brewery in Venezuela. The Cisneros family denied initial local press reports that the wedding had been at one of their properties.
The confirmation comes after the story broke in Venezuela on Wednesday, when a press conference was called by the Venezuelan Health Minister that 37 cases of cholera had been reported in Venezuela and were traced to Venezuelans returning from an event in the DR. The Mendoza family is known for its differences with President Hugo Chavez, who was the first to break the news story.
www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/19/1736645/chavez-threatens-to-take-over.html (http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/19/1736645/chavez-threatens-to-take-over.html)
Gomez Rojas said that while the Ministry immediately alerted the Ministry of Public Health in Venezuela about the suspected cholera infection, it did not release the news locally while waiting for confirmation and more information on the possible source. Throughout the process it followed the International Sanitary Ruling to which the country is a signatory. The Ministry routinely reports once a week on cholera cases.
This is the first multi-case outbreak to occur. All those affected are known to have recovered.
Several of those attending the wedding had traveled back to their home countries, primarily Venezuela. A wedding guest reportedly attended the emergency room at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston upon returning, but his symptoms had already eased.
The Minister of Public Health said the situation was quickly subject to control protocols to prevent the disease from spreading. All those attending the event were notified.
He said that the guests who ate lobster at the party were the only ones to have been affected. An investigation revealed that the contamination came from a lobster dish when a leftover batch was tested, out of about 25 dishes served at the wedding. The contamination is believed to be the result of inadequate refrigeration during transportation and inappropriate cooking. The lobster came from Pedernales, on the border with Haiti. Pedernales is known for the best lobster in the country.
Gomez Rojas said that as soon as the outbreak was suspected, authorities in Venezuela and the Pan-American Health Organization offices in Washington, D.C. were notified. He said the private party took place on Saturday and the incubation period was 8 to 48 hours.
According to local news reports, Fernando Hazoury, one of the owners of Cap Cana, and Manuel Enrique Peynado, son of late senator Jacinto Peynado were hospitalized after attending the party and have since recovered.
The lobster was served by a third party caterer, not by Casa de Campo itself. In an official statement, Casa de Campo confirmed the outbreak and said that the wedding had used an independent caterer. Casa de Campo has just completed the installation of a US$12 million state-of-the-art kitchen facility to guarantee food service to their customers.
The Ministry of Tourism reported that so far, the effects of the cholera outbreak in Haiti has not affected the flow of tourism with 4.12 million air arrivals recorded last year, up 3%, making the DR the leading destination of 28 in the Caribbean. Hotels are reporting high occupancy rates.
For an overview on cholera and travelers, see www.dr1.com/travelnews/archive/2010/tnews120710.html (http://www.dr1.com/travelnews/archive/2010/tnews120710.html)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#3)