EPIDEMIC OF VIBRIO-CHOLERAE-0139 IN CALCUTTA

As one of large outbreaks of cholera like illness in the Indian subcon tinent, Calcutta and its neighbouring areas experienced an unprecedent ed epidemic due to a new strain of V. cholerae non-01, designated as V . cholerae 0139 Bengal, since January 1993. This epidemic predominantl y affected the adult population of Calcutta as evidenced by the hospit alization of more adults at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Calcutta (IDH), which bore the main brunt of the epidemic in and around Calcutt a. During the peak of the epidemic about 180 to 300 diarrhoea patients were admitted daily at the IDH. Of the 807 patients screened, 407 wer e positive for V. cholerae 0139 and majority (82.8%) of the cases were > 10 yr of age. Severe dehydration was recorded in 85.5 per cent of t he cases.