Cholera outbreak in southern Tanzania: Risk factors and patterns of transmission

To identify risk factors and describe the pattern of spread of the 1997 cho lera epidemic in a rural area (Ifakara) in southern Tanzania, we conducted a prospective hospital-based, matched case-control study, with analysis bas ed on the first 180 cases and 360 matched controls. Bathing in the river, l ong distance to water source, and eating dried fish were significantly asso ciated with risk for cholera. Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1, biotype EI Tor, serotype Ogawa, was isolated in samples from Ifakarais main water source a nd patientsi stools. DNA molecular analyses showed identical patterns for a ll isolates.