Effort Made to Contact People on Plane in Which 5 Passengers Suffered Cholera
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services is attempting to contact people who were aboard a flight from South America because five passengers have been diagnosed as having cholera, and one has died, officials said Wednesday.
The flight, Aerolineas Argentina 386 from Buenos Aires via Lima, Peru, arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, officials said. Anyone who was on the flight and has suffered any symptoms of illness should contact the health department at 213-974-7941, said Dr. Shirley Fannin, the agency’s director of disease control.
The passenger who died was 70, and because of his age, Fannin said, she is not sure cholera caused his death.
The others who got the disease have either recovered or are in the process of recovering, Fannin said.
The flight is the only common factor in all five cases, Fannin said. Generally, of every 100 people exposed to cholera, only two will come down with it, she said.
The onset of the disease may vary from a few hours to five days. Known as the disease of the poor, cholera flourishes in areas with inadequate water and sewage systems and unsanitary food storage.
The life-threatening disease, which is easily treated, is caused by a bacterium transmitted through contaminated water or food.
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