ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention urged the public to take health precautions on Friday after a suspected cholera case was discovered on Kos island, a tourist destination and entry point for migrants from the Middle East and Asia.
An official at the centre told Reuters a 79-year-old Dutch tourist was transferred from Kos for tests and treatment in an Athens hospital with symptoms of cholera, including prolonged severe diarrhoea and high fever, but the diagnosis was not yet confirmed.
"We are proceeding with more examinations to avoid the danger of a contagious disease," the centre said in a statement. Meanwhile, it urged citizens to wash their hands and observe strict hygiene rules before consuming food and water.
Cholera is spread mainly through contaminated water and food and, if untreated, can cause death by dehydration and kidney failure within hours.
Kos has seen an influx of thousands of migrants and refugees from countries including Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan who cross the Aegean Sea from nearby Turkey. In September, Iraq's first major cholera outbreak since 2012 rose to at least 121 cases.
(Reporting by Karolina Tagaris, Renee Maltezou and Lefteris Papadimas; Editing by Paul Taylor)
