Epidemiology of Vibrio cholerae Infection in Taiwan

Chiu-Hsiang Lin ^1＊, Hsiu-Fan Wang¹, Yu-Min Chou ¹, Jer-Jea Yen²

2015 Vol.31 NO.11

Correspondence Author： Chiu-Hsiang Lin

Abstract：

Fromyear 2004 to 2013, a total of 690 suspected cholera cases were reported inTaiwan. Among them, 323 cases were reported through “cholera” disease innotifiable disease surveillance system, the remaining 367 cases without stoolor vomit specimens, were reported as “others” disease in the same system. Among 515 cases positive for Vibrio cholerae,only 28 cases were toxigenic cholera. The trends of Vibrio cholerae positive cases increased in recent years,particularly increased from May to October, more than half of cases occurred insummer season. The sex ratio of Vibrio cholerae positive cases is 1.7 times, majority of the cases were ≥50 years-old and raised yearly, and most of cases lived in the southern region. Alarge number of Vibrio cholerae positive cases (456) were either Non-O1or Non-O139, of which 169 cases werereported through “cholera” disease; O1-Ogawa were 54 cases, of which only 2cases were reported through “others” disease. Over the 10 years period, therewere merely two toxigenic O139 cases detected in year of 2006 and 2010.

Currently,due to socio-economic development and public health improvement, cholera onlyhappened sporadically in Taiwan. Taiwan is a subtropical island and surroundedby sea, aqua farming becomes more popular, plus the habit and easy access ofseafood from the public, people might be infected with Vibrio cholerae and causedsepsis or even death. Therefore, public health authorities not only shouldstrengthen on cholera surveillance, investigation and prevention measures, butalso to explore the resistance and toxigenicity of Non-O1/Non-O139 Vibrio cholerae serotypes.