We retrospectively analysed the seasonal distribution of cholera and the antimicrobial resistance pattern of Vibrio cholerae isolates over a 5-year period from January 1998 to December 2002. Of 3213 stool specimens processed from 3213 patients with acute watery diarrhoea during this period, 431 samples (13.4%) were found positive for V. cholerae. There were 423 V. cholerae Ol biotype E1Tor, 2 V. cholerae 0139 and six isolates of non-01 non-0139. The highest number of cholera cases occurred in May-June followed by July-August. Cases started appearing in April for all years except in the year 2002 when three cases occurred in the first week of March. A large number (90.25% strains) were resistant to at least one antibiotic.
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