Cholera death toll rises in Dominican Republic

Eleven more people died of cholera last week in Dominican Republic, bringing the death toll to 87, the Health Ministry said Friday. In its weekly update on the cholera situation, the ministry said the number of suspected cholera cases fell to 773 last week from 808 in the previous week, the third week in a row to see a drop since an outbreak last November. However, the disease continues to rage in the southern part of the country. The arrival of the rainy season with hot and humid weather has led to a sharp rise in cases since June. The death toll has doubled in the past six weeks. The ministry has tightened measures to prevent the spread of cholera and related diseases. A total of 13,200 suspected cases have been registered nationwide since November, according to the ministry's report. The current epidemic in Dominican Republic followed a severe outbreak in neighboring Haiti last year, where the disease has killed 5,899 people and infected 388,958 others, according to the latest official figures.