What is it: cholera is an acute, diarrhoea
illness caused by infection of the intestine with the
bacterium Vibrio cholerae via contaminated drink or
shellfish. Transmission happens through contaminated water
and food.

How do I get it: cholera often occurs in epidemic
areas where there is poor sanitation and occurs regularly
after natural disasters and war. Outbreaks are known to
occur along the Ganges river and in Bangladesh.

What happens if I get it: around 90% of cases are
mild to moderate and hard to distinguish from the usual
sort of traveller’s diarrhoea. In more sever cases,
cholera is characterised by profuse watery diarrhoea,
vomiting, leg cramps, rapid loss of body fluids,
dehydration, shock. Without treatment, death can occur
within hours.

Diagnosis and treatment: a stool sample will show
whether you have cholera. It can be simply and successfully
treated by immediate replacement of the fluid and salts
lost through diarrhoea. Patients can be treated with oral
rehydration solution, a pre-packaged mixture of sugar and
salts to be mixed with water and drunk in large amounts.
This solution is commonly used to treat diarrhoea. Severe
cases may also require an intravenous drip with fluid
replacement. With prompt rehydration, less than 1% of
cholera patients die. A 6 day course of the antibiotic
tetracycline can clear things up very quickly, although
rehydration is the more important course of action.

How can I avoid contracting cholera: the usual
advice as per traveller’s diarrhoea – drink water
that you have boiled or treated with chlorine or iodine,
avoid ice, eat food that has been thoroughly cooked and is
still hot, only eat fruit that you have peeled yourself,
avoid undercooked or raw fish or shellfish. Avoid salads
and be careful with foods and beverages from street
vendors. There is a vaccine, but this is no longer
available in the UK because health authorities believe that
it is ineffective.