There are many remarkable diseases in human history, plentiful killing millions still today. A numerous of them waterborne, which is frightening Earth’s population excessively. One of these waterborne diseases is Cholera, an infectious, bacterial disease brought from affected water supplies causing watery diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration. The majority of infected people usually develop mild, moderate symptoms, although the minority develop severe symptoms, and in a matter of hours enter a critical condition. (“Cholera.”) Because of the way the disease spreads, it is very common in countries with lack of clean water, like African countries. Only in a small region in Africa, Sila, 817 cases were recorded with a 29 death rate, from 11 September 2017 to 10 December 2017. (“Chad: Cholera Outbreak – Aug 2017.”) In this research paper, I will examine the historical background, the causes of the disease and how to avoid it, and its effects on humans and treatment.
It’s undoubtedly unclear when it first affected people, exactly, or even where, but we have early writings from Greece and India, in the 4th and 5th century, described cases from isolated areas where people were infected by cholera-like illnesses. One of the first extensively described cases of cholera epidemics were documented by Gaspar Correa, a Portuguese historian and author. He described an epidemic in 1543, where the disease, which affected the population in the Ganges Delta. The locals called the disease “moryxy”, which killed within 8 hours. The death rate hiked so high, that population struggled to entomb all the victims. After the outbreak, many cholera manifestations were reported by European witnesses during the following few hundred years by the west coast of India. (“Cholera.”). The first cholera pandemic developed out of the Brahmaputra Delta, with an eruption in 1817, in South-India, modern day West-Bangladesh. Due to the contaminated rice, the disease spread like fire in a hay field, it reached many neighboring countries. In the 182nd decade the disease started spreading towards Eastern Asia leaving hundreds of thousands of victims behind, only 100,000 deaths on the Indonesian, Java island by itself. As time went by the deadly disease reached the Eastern Asian countries, like China and Japan, due to infected people traveling by boat between countries. Cholera grew out of Asia in 1821, because infected British troops traveled to the Persian Golf. Cholera evidently made its way to European territory, as it appeared soon in current Southern Russia, Turkey and Syria. This pandemic stopped spreading because of a cold, harsh winter season in 1823-1824. Five years later the second pandemic started to make its way out of India, through trade and military roads to the Middle East and India’s neighboring countries. By next year cholera reached its way to Moscow, and after its slow pace during winter, in the spring it picked up a fast pace and reached Finland and Poland, and as time goes these countries passed them over to Hungary and Germany. As Cholera put its feet in Europe the disease infected the nation and made its way to the other end, Great Britain, by the port of Sunderland. Britain tried resolving the problem by using quarantines and using medicine, but the community was concerned, because of the uneven press reports, about more people dying in hospitals instead of their homes, made them think that the doctors were killing them, not the disease. The fear resulted in many “cholera riots” in the country. The disease made its way to the Americas and it was carried over by rivers from Quebec. It was also shipped to the United States, from Europe, by infected immigrants. Over a few years it spread through the country, and reached some areas in the southern countries as well. The third pandemic from 1852 to 1859 was the most fatal. It wrecked most continents such as Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. After a devastating year in Great Britain, in 1854, physician John Snow charted cases in London and found out the source of the disease. He persuaded officials in charge of the pump handle and ordered them to remove it. This step lowered the number of cholera cases in the area. After this discovery the fourth and fifth pandemics were less cruel, but still had a large death count. For instance only in Hungary 190,000 deaths were counted. Filippo Pacini, a microbiologist, diagnosed the bacterium, although another microbiologist developed the way to grow and study cholera in a controlled environment. The United States and Great Britain were safe for the most part, due to advanced, clean water supplies and quarantining. The sixth pandemic mostly affected India, Russia, the Middle East and northern Africa. Cholera disappeared in many countries thanks to improved public health and hygiene. In comparison to other pandemics, the seventh and present pandemic, it launched from Indonesia, and spread to the West and stopped at Africa. Cholera appeared in South America, Peru, and quickly spread towards Central America. This disease is still present in many less advanced countries, and the recent outbreaks were devastating. For example the Yemen outbreak affected 500,000 people, killing 2,000, which makes it the biggest epidemic in the world. (“Cholera”)
Cholera is a waterborne disease and its bacteria, “vibrio cholerae”, is naturally found in marginally salty and usually estuarine waters. The human body can get infected when eating food or consuming fluids containing the bacteria. Cholera breeds before 2 hours to 5 days before causing any sensible signs of being infected. After breeding the victim can spread the disease through the environment. The bacteria often affix onto shells of crabs, shrimps and shellfish, although it can only reproduce and spread on humans. Cholera is not endemic to North America, but when traveling to countries where cholera is endemic a few rules should be followed to avoid getting infected by the disease. When being in an endemic area, only sealed, boiled or chemically treated water should be consumed. Eating pre-packed or hot, freshly made food is highly recommended. Avoiding raw or uncooked seafood, dairy food, tap water, ice cubes and fountain drinks should lower your concerns about getting infected. (“What Is Cholera?”)
When a human body is infected by the O1 and O139 strains, they discharge a toxin, which stimulates the cells covering the small intestine to release large loads of liquid. The infected victims experience this throughout serious diarrhea and vomiting. There are no animals, except humans, in which the disease is able to duplicate or transmit. Although about 8 out of 10 people are not experiencing any symptoms and the disease just resolves by itself, but they can still transmit through the surroundings. The rest of the people who develop symptoms have about 20% chance of getting into severe condition, although about 80% of them develop only mild symptoms. (“Cholera.”) People who are experiencing watery diarrhea and vomiting are soon enter critical condition involving dehydration, septic shock, or even death in some cases, if left untreated. The condition of the infected people can turn critical only in a matter of hours. Fortunately there is treatment, which involves restoring fluids and salts in the body, which were lost during diarrhea and vomiting. In absolutely severe conditions the treatment may requires intravenous fluid replacement. (“What Is Cholera?”)