Tourists reassured over cholera in Dominican Republic

Tourists are being told not to cancel travel plans as cholera appears.

Travel Insurance News - 22/11/2010

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Cholera has appeared in the Dominican Republic, a popular holiday destination, triggering fears of a wide outbreak but experts say there is no cause for alarm. They say there is no reason to cancel holidays already booked.

Next door, in Haiti, the bacterial disease of the intestinal system, has already led to the deaths of more than 1,100 people. Cholera has also put more than 18,000 people there in hospital.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, said on Tuesday that they had detected the first case of cholera in their country. A 32-year old construction worker from Haiti returned to the Dominican Republic from his home in Haiti on Friday.

Rather than warning people not to visit, experts say now is actually a safer time to visit the Dominican Republic. Because of the health scare, sanitation has likely been improved as part of the health department’s response.

The Dominican Republic is a leading Caribbean holiday destination for tourists from North America, as well as Europe. Tourism is one of the country’s biggest industries.

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