In spite of the optimism that "large-scale outbreaks of disease will not occur" among Katrina survivors, relief officials have been on the watch. "[E]pidemics of cholera and typhoid ... are impossible because the microbes are not present in the population," according to the news nugget that the Huffington Post picked up from the Washington Post last week.
It's not cholera, but a "more benign cousin," vibrio vulnificus, that is being diagnosed among Katrina survivors, according to a story in the Los Angeles Times.
Von Roebuck, [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman], said officials had detected the disease among some storm evacuees and stragglers but had not been able to determine how many cases there were. It does not appear that anyone has died from the disease.
There's no reason to panic. The LAT story explains
Among healthy people, vibrio vulnificus causes vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain but is generally not life-threatening. It can be readily cured with antibiotics such as doxycycline or cephalosporins, with no long-term effects.
It is substantially more serious in people with chronic liver disease or people who have compromised immune systems, such as those taking transplant drugs. In those cases, the bacterium escapes into the bloodstream, where it causes fever and chills, septic shock — characterized by sharply decreased blood pressure — and blistering skin lesions. About half of those who contract bloodstream infections die, according to the CDC.
There is no evidence that the bacterium spreads from human to human.
The bacterium can also cause skin infections if people have open wounds, which can lead to skin breakdown and ulceration.