TCI confirms one case of Cholera –

Ministry ramps up ability to conduct in-country testing

The Ministry of Health and Human Services is rapidly developing its capacity to provide confirmatory testing for cholera within the Turks and Caicos Islands.

This comes as the Ministry of Health on Sunday, June 4th 2023, through the National Public Health Laboratory, confirmed the presence of Vibrio cholera in a stool sample which was received from the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre.

The sample was collected from a patient who recently returned from Haiti and went to the hospital with vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration, according to the Ministry.

The individual is currently stable and is responding to treatment.

The sample was sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago on June 6th, 2023, for further testing, confirmation, and characterising.

Minister of Health Hon Shaun

Malcolm in a statement on Tuesday, June 7, explained that CARPHA is the regional body with oversight for the Turks and Caicos Islands, and samples will continue to be sent for oversight to ensure that regional actions can be taken.

In an effort to safeguard the health and safety of the citizens, residents, and visitors of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Minister Malcolm said his Ministry is working assiduously to develop in-country testing capacity at the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL).

This he said, will be done through the use of newly acquired equipment facilitated by the United Kingdom’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The NPHL is poised to continue to screen samples for suspected organisms of local and international concerns.

Commenting on the progress made by the National Public Health

Laboratory, Minister Malcolm said: “The development of the incountry capacity to conduct rapid detection of pathogens of concern through our local National Public Health Laboratory is essential to safeguard our local population by providing information to inform early response from the public health team to facilitate interventions aimed at preventing further disease spread.”

Only two strains of cholera are known to cause outbreaks – O1 and O139. V. cholerae O1 has been identified as the cause of all recent outbreaks including the current outbreak in Haiti. It will be important for the strain to be identified in order to determine whether it is the toxigenic strain.

The TCI had heightened its surveillance for cholera in response to the resurgence of cholera in Haiti which was first reported in October 2022 by the Pan American Health Organization.

Causes And Symptoms

Cholera is an acute diarrhoea infection caused by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.

Most infected persons do not have any symptoms, whereas 1 in 10 people who get sick may experience a more severe form of the disease which can result in severe watery diarrhoea, vomiting and dehydration. Without treatment, severe cases can result in deaths.

Mild cases tend to resolve with oral rehydration solution treatment. The mainstay of treatment is adequate rehydration. It takes between 12 hours and 5 days for a person to show symptoms after ingesting contaminated food or water. Bacteria are present in the faeces of infected persons for 1-10 days after infection and are shed back into the environment, potentially infecting other people.

Pending confirmation of which strain is present in the sample from the infected individual, the Health Ministry has already commenced contact tracing, is heightening surveillance through its sentinel sites and reinforcing messages about proper hygienic measures. The general public is reminded to always practice proper hygiene and sanitation.