PORT-AU-PRINCE, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 1,721 people died in the nation's cholera epidemic which began there just over a month ago, Haiti's Health Ministry said in a Monday statement.
A total of 75,888 people have suffered infection, of whom 33, 485 needed hospital treatment, the ministry said. Northern city Artibonite, with 750 dead, is the worst affected. Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince saw 162 deaths.
On Sunday, the Health Ministry of the Dominican Republic, which shares Caribbean Island Hispaniola with Haiti, reported seven cholera cases, but no deaths, during a Sunday press conference. There has also been at least one confirmed case in Miami, a city in U.S. state Florida that is a frequent first stop for Haitians leaving their home.
Cholera is caused by a bacterium that lives in dirty food or water and human excrement. Untreated, the disease can trigger severe dehydration in 24 hours. Old people and young children are most vulnerable to the disease.
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