This is isolated and is not expected to have any effect because sanitary conditions are very different in the US (which PR is part of, lest people forget!). There are apparently something like 96 cases in the Dominican Republic, where this missionary visited - and 5,000 in Haiti, which shares the island and has horrible sanitary conditions. Haiti is the origin of the outbreak, and the DR has been fairly effective in preventing its spread, even though the countries are neighbors.
Puerto Rico has repeatedly rejected joining the union as a state. They may be part of the U.S., but barely.
Exactly correct.
Cholera is the direct result of poor sanitation, and the real danger for third world inhabitants is not itinerant missionaries, but enviro-whackos like Greenpeace.
From the Washington Times in 2002:
“An example of the harm that well-meaning but misguided alarm can cause became succinctly evident during the cholera epidemic that hit Latin America in 1991. The health risk associated with disinfection byproducts (DBPs) had been overblown by the media. As a result, the general public perception was that everyone drinking water with DBPs exceeding the WHO Drinking Water Quality Guidelines would get cancer, even though the scientifically estimated risk was 1 additional case of cancer per 100,000 persons after a lifetime of exposure.
During the initial stages of the epidemic of this classical waterborne disease, I personally witnessed two national public health officials reject recommendations to chlorinate community water supplies, because of their concern for disinfection byproducts (DBPs). At the same time hundreds of new cases of cholera were occurring daily and approximately 1 percent of them were fatal. It took almost two additional months before orders to chlorinate were promulgated. The Latin America cholera epidemic resulted in more than 1 million illnesses and more than 10,000 deaths.”
One can only be glad that Puerto Rico is under federal water-quality laws and regulations. A visitor from the mainland doesn’t have to worry about “don’t drink the water”.
It’s still a little scary that a disease that hasn’t been reported since the 1850s suddenly shows up. At least, the situation is under control and follow-up was quick.