As reported by ERR News, board's infectious diseases laboratory is analyzing a sample from a child who initially tested positive for cholera.

The child who gave the initial positive cholera test was abroad with their family when they developed a fever late last week, followed by diarrhea a few days later.

The family returned to Tallinn by plane, where one of the parents took the sick child to the hospital, where they were placed in an isolation ward.

The Health Board has revealed new information about the case, indicating that the illness was brought in to Estonia from Azerbaijan.

However, the cholera infection case has not yet been officially confirmed, and the risk of it spread inside this country is practically zero, Olga Sadikova, chief specialist at the Health Board's infectious diseases epidemiology department, said.

Sadikova said: "The laboratory confirmation of cholera is still pending. There is reason to believe that the infection is primarily linked to poor-quality drinking water consumed outside of Estonia. Even if it transpires it was cholera, and at this point, this is just a presumption, the risk of its spreading with Estonia is practically zero."

"The family in question returned to Estonia by plane, from Azerbaijan. We have informed other tourists, and the carrier, as a precaution. But I reiterate, the risk of spread is practically nill," Sadikova added.

The board has in any case taken measures to identify individuals who might be at risk of infection.

Sadikova noted that the final results of the analysis will arrive in a few days' time, "after which we will know whether it is cholera or vibriosis," she noted.

The affected family consists of two adults and three children, one of whom is seven years old, which the other two are 18-month-old twins.

"The seven-year-old child developed a fever in Azerbaijan and later experienced gastrointestinal symptoms. Upon arriving in Estonia, the child was immediately taken to the hospital. The next day, the other children also showed gastrointestinal symptoms, after which the family was hospitalized for isolation," Sadikova said.

The Health Board has informed the Estonian Society of Family Doctors and hospitals about the incident. The agency has also notified the airline and other countries. The airline will inform passengers about potential exposure to the infected individual. The risk to airline passengers is rather low, as cholera does not spread through the air but through contaminated surfaces, such as in restrooms previously used by an infected person.

The Health Board advises travelers who received notifications to monitor their health for five days and to adhere strictly to hygiene rules, particularly hand washing.

Cholera is a dangerous infectious disease with an incubation period of one to five day, and while around 70 percent of infected individuals are either asymptomatic or experience very minor symptoms, much hinges on whether a toxic variant is present.

More serious symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, and fluid loss, and also muscle weakness and heart rhythm disturbances.

If the case is fully confirmed as cholera, it will be the first instance of the disease found in Estonia since 1993. That time, the infection had been brought in from elsewhere, too.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!