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DOMINICAN CHOLERA OUTBREAK
Pristine beaches, warm blue waters, tropical drinks. And cholera?
That's a stomach-turning image that tourism officials in the Domincation are desperately trying to fend off as their country's image as a tropical parades gets tarnished by the growing number of cholera cases sweeping the country.
Especially this holiday season, the country’s busiest travel period, officials are trying to down play the cholera cases and highlight the D.R. as a top tourist destination in the Caribbean.
“The CDC and the WHO (World Health Organization) all say it’s safe to travel to the D.R. You just have to follow universal precautions, like make sure the water you drink is purified and the food you eat is cooked well,” said Vanessa Welter, spokeswoman for the DR Ministry of Tourism. “But that’s the case anywhere you go.”
About 32 people in the country have been infected with cholera, which has killed more than 2,300 people and triggered deadly riots in neighboring Haiti. All of those infected in the D.R. have lived or worked near the border – areas far-flung from the opulent resorts that dot the eastern side of the island.
Still, the possibility of cholera spreading to all parts of the country has officials scrambling.
The tourism industry is training its staff on cholera prevention and is urging visitor not to leave resort areas. Elsewhere, officials have cracked down on the border, which has also been lined with chlorine-soaked mats, and have chlorinated the water supply.
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