The number of confirmed cholera cases rose to 77 in central Mexico, public health authorities has said , but stopped short of calling it an epidemic. Federal health secretary Mercedes Juan insisted the outbreak of cholera in the state of Hidalgo was \"contained and controlled.\" \"It is under control, we have been working in coordination with state officials to eradicate the risks of contagion,\" she said during a visit to a hospital in the city of Huejutla de Reyes. One death has been reported, of a patient who also had a history of kidney problems. Hidalgo Governor Jose Francisco Olvera Ruiz said specialists were still searching for the source of the contagion, which he said was water-borne. He said the strain appeared similar to recent outbreaks of cholera in Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.