Breaking News - Cuba scrambling to contain cholera outbreak in Havana

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AFP - Getty ImagesMiriam Rodriguez shows a picture of her late son Ubaldo Pino -- who died of cholera on Jan. 6 -- on Jan. 15, 2013 in Havana. The official newspaper Granma announced Tuesday a cholera outbreak has allegedly sickened 51 people in Havana.  By Marc Frank, ReutersCuban authorities are scrambling to contain a cholera outbreak that has  sickened dozens of people in Havana, the capital city of 2.2 million  residents and a popular tourism destination.

In a brief  communiqué issued on Tuesday, the Health Ministry said the outbreak was  first detected on Jan. 6, and was being contained.

"Fifty-one cases have been confirmed to date," the statement read, without mentioning fatalities.

Follow @NBCNewsWorld"Due to the measures adopted, transmission is in the phase of extinction," it said.

But  in off-the-record discussions with a ministry official and doctor  directly involved in fighting the outbreak, a different picture emerged  with hundreds of suspected cases.

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