国际英语新闻：Cholera death toll amounts to 303 in Haiti: WHO

GENEVA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization released updated figures on Thursday, saying the death toll from the Cholera outbreak in Haiti has amounted to 303, out of 4,722 affected cases.

The monitoring of the epidemic, a collaboration between the WHO and the Ministry of Health in Haiti (MSPP), show that 76.5 percent of the confirmed cases are in Artibonte Province, followed by Central Province, taking up 22.9 percent of the total.

According to the WHO, tests conducted by various public health authorities indicate that "the strains of Vibrio cholera 01 Ogawa isolated in Haiti," had shown "resistance to the following antibiotics: trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, furazolidone, nalidixic acid, and streptomycin".

A Cuban doctor treats children suffering from cholera at the L'Estere hospital in St. Marc, Haiti, on Oct. 26, 2010.

The strains, however, are sensitive to tetracycline, doxycycline and ciprofloxacin, the WHO added.

Cholera, a waterborne bacterial infection, is transmitted mainly through contaminated water and unsanitary conditions. The Artibonite River, which irrigates Haiti's rural center and provides water for thousands of people, is believed to be the source of the outbreak.