First San Diego Cholera Sufferer From Flight Found : Disease: Woman was an Aerolineas Argentinas passenger on the flight tied to outbreak of the disease.

San Diego County health officials Monday detected the first case of cholera to reach the county in decades.

The cholera patient, who flew with her husband aboard a Feb. 14 Aerolineas Argentinas flight, poses no threat to the community and is under a doctor’s care, said Dr. Michele Ginsberg, the county’s chief of epidemiology.

“I don’t believe the case poses any threat to the community. None of the people who were on the plane worked in an occupation where they could endanger others,” Ginsberg said. “And I don’t see it as a major health risk to these individuals.”

So far, almost 60 passengers aboard the plane from Buenos Aires and Lima, Peru, have suffered symptoms of the potentially fatal disease.

In addition to the San Diego patient, tests show that eight other passengers contracted cholera, including one 70-year-old Los Angeles man who died from the disease.

Eight passengers from the flight, which landed in Los Angeles, traveled on to San Diego. By Monday night, health officials had reached five of the eight to quiz them about what food or beverages they consumed that might have resulted in their contracting the disease.

Four of the five have suffered symptoms, which include diarrhea, cramps, dehydration and vomiting. Health officials tested all five residents to see if they actually had cholera, which doesn’t always cause symptoms.

Of the husband and wife who both had symptoms, only the woman has tested positive for the disease, Ginsberg said. The couple had traveled together to Peru, where they spent three weeks. During that time, each consumed ceviche, a dish made of raw fish, which medical experts say is a food item that can carry the cholera organism.

In Peru, the husband and wife had cholera symptoms, but now in San Diego, only the woman has the disease, Ginsberg said. But it is not yet known whether she contracted the illness from her stay in Peru or from food served aboard the plane.

County health officials are still seeking the other three San Diego-bound passengers who were aboard the flight. Even with one confirmed case, there is no reason for alarm, Ginsberg cautioned. Cholera is easily treated when it’s detected.

Officials have launched a manhunt for all passengers aboard the plane because they are trying to determine whether there was something in the airline food or beverages that helped spread the disease.