MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/. A man in the Moscow Region has contracted cholera after recently spending time in India, the press service of the regional Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing directorate said.
"An imported case of cholera was detected in the Moscow Region in a tourist who returned from India. Earlier, the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing reported risks of importing the disease from countries with an adverse cholera situation, so the agency’s specialists were prepared. The Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing directorate for the Moscow Region has organized and implemented all necessary epidemic control measures. Earlier, response procedures were practiced during training exercises, which allowed for prompt identification of the patient in a real-life situation," the Russian public health watchdog said in a statement.
It specified that the disease was detected in a 40-year-old male who arrived in Moscow from India on April 21. He is a resident of the Moscow Region. The individual stayed in India from April 11-20. He was traveling alone, visiting several cities in the country and also Nepal. According to the patient, he drank filtered tap water and ate at various cafes during the trip. Upon returning home, he felt unwell and sought medical treatment.
"After a rapid turn for the worse, he was admitted to an infectious diseases hospital. Laboratory tests were quickly carried out at the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing for the Moscow Region and a cholera agent was detected. As of the morning of April 24, the patient’s condition is satisfactory with a positive outlook," the agency emphasized.
Specialists from Russia’s public health watchdog have immediately tracked those who were in contact with the affected individual. The list totaled 321 individuals from 33 Russian regions, including the patient’s family members, the passengers and crew of his flight home and ambulance medics. They all are under medical observation with lab tests and emergency preventive measures carried out. As of today, none of them have shown any symptoms of the disease. "Epidemic control measures in the Moscow Region are underway. The situation is under strict control of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing," the agency concluded.