Cholera incidence among patients with diarrhea visiting National Public Health Laboratory, Nepal

The major objective of this study was to deliver vital statistics related to cholera to health authorities so as to aid in their attempt to prioritize communicable diseases in Nepal. A laboratory-based surveillance was conducted from mid-June 2008 to mid-January 2009 at the National Public Health Laboratory, Nepal. Diarrheal samples alone were processed for Vibrio cholerae. Isolation and identification of the organisms were carried out as per standard protocol. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were done according to the guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The incidence of cholera was found to be 27.1%. Only V. cholerae O1 Ogawa biotype El Tor was found during the study. No variation was observed in the percentage of cases between genders (P<0.05). The 15-30 year age group was found to be more susceptible to cholera (P<0.05). The period from mid-June to mid-July had the highest incidence of cholera (P<0.05). Ampicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and erythromycin were highly effective, while 100% resistance was observed for furazolidone, nalidixic acid, and cotrimoxazole.