A total of 158 cases of cholera had been confirmed as of October 8 in Jiaxing, a city in east China's Zhejiang Province, since August 25 when the first case was found, local health authorities said Sunday, adding that no deaths had been reported.

Most of the patients were only slightly affected by the waterborne disease, with the syndrome of painless diarrhea and vomiting but no fever, sources with the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Health said.

The sources said 72 patients remained hospitalized.

Autumn is a popular season for such acute intestinal epidemics as cholera, typhoid fever and diarrhea. In addition, Jiaxing is an area which is interconnected with waters and has also been a popular area for intestinal epidemics.

Local health authorities attributed the outbreak of cholera this year mainly to unclean drinking water and unclean diets. They suggested people pay more attention to personal hygiene to prevent the disease.

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2005)