Mexican Ports Increase Security

Security at Mexican ports of entry is being tightened in the face of the first cholera outbreak in the Western Hemisphere this century, the newspaper El Norte said Friday.

It said the Health Department in the northern state of Tamaulipas alone had already seized about 40 metric tons of fish from South America.

Cholera, linked to poor sanitation, transmitted by foods and beverages contaminated with the disease-carrying bacteria. The disease causes massive diarrhea, vomiting and severe dehydration, often leading to death.

Thousands of people in Peru have been stricken by the disease and at least 96 have died. The World Health Organization has warned that the epidemic could spread quickly throughout Latin America if not controlled.

It is the sixth major cholera outbreak in recorded history.