Cholera outbreak in Hainan

Reuters reports:

China's southern resort island of Hainan has confirmed 30 cholera cases and nearly 300 suspected cases in the last few days, the provincial government said on Friday.

No deaths had been reported, the government website said, but Xinhua news agency said on Thursday an eight-year-old girl died of congenital heart disease triggered by suspected cholera.

Continuous torrential rains on the island this month may be one reason for the epidemic, the website said.

The latest dispatch from Xinhua says the cholera outbreak has been contained within Danzhou City. 25 patients have been "cured", 5 remain in hospital, but another 300 suspected cases are out there. As to the cause of the outbreak:

Initial investigation by [the Hainan provincial health bureau] shows the acute intestinal epidemic started from a dining party by the villagers of Huangyu Village, Danzhou City in the middle of October. The first cholera case was found there on Oct. 20.

"The confirmed cases are mainly among the villagers from the dining party," said Bai. "Sporadic cases are few."