Cholera
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Cholera is a bacterial infection caused by the Vibrio cholerae bacteria, which infects the intestines after it enters the body through contaminated food or water. Cholera can cause severe diarrhea, dehydration, and death if not treated.
Symptoms
Most people who get cholera have mild/no symptoms, but can still infect others if their stool contaminates food or water sources. For the few who do develop symptoms, they usually appear 2-3 days after getting infected and may include:
watery diarrhea
vomiting
dehydration
leg cramps
Treatment
Because cholera can cause death in just a few hours, treatment should be administered as soon as possible. Most people who get treated are able to recover successfully. Treatments include antibiotics, rehydration therapy (IV fluids or oral rehydration salts), and zinc supplements, which may help with cholera in children.
Cholera Throughout History
Cholera originated in India centuries ago and spread to other countries and continents through global trading networks. There have been seven major cholera pandemics throughout history, the first being in India in 1817. These pandemics have killed tens of millions of people, with the deadliest being the third pandemic. This pandemic spread through Asia, Europe, North America, and Africa, and killed 23,000 people in Great Britain alone in 1854. That same year, John Snow, a British physician, made the groundbreaking discovery that cholera was a waterborne disease, and he was able to trace and remove the source of the cholera outbreak in London. Today, we are currently undergoing the seventh cholera pandemic, which started in 1961 and continues to affect populations around the world (mainly communities with poor sanitation, inadequate hygiene, or unsafe drinking water).
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