Cholera outbreak in Anhui covered up

Anhui province authorities covered up an outbreak of cholera for 12 days, AFP reported, citing state media. The provincial health department discovered the outbreak on August 16, and since that date 38 were discovered to have contracted the disease. The outbreak was traced to a soybean milk shop. State media criticized Anhui authorities for covering up the epidemic and not notifying the local population. The vice director of the Anhui Center for Disease Control responded by saying that local officials were not authorized to notify the general public and had to seek approval from higher level officials. "Besides, if every outbreak of disease is publicized every time, this will easily lead the public to become paralyzed in their thinking," he said.