Cholera is a quick and nasty killer. Because of the watery diarrhea it causes, those infected can die the same day they fall ill. Cholera has a history of being a deadly disease and is still with us today when public sanitation infrastructure breaks down.

Historically, colonization, trade, and urbanization have played huge roles in the spread of cholera. Cholera was believed to have begun in the Ganges river in India. Through colonization and trade, it was able to spread rapidly. During the First Pandemic (1816-1823), cholera spread via trade routes and ended up in several Asian countries, Africa, and even began to creep its way into the Middle East and towards Europe. The British began to colonize India, which led to cholera making its way to the British Iles, and from there to the rest of the world. Urban environments were also growing around the time of the Second Pandemic (1829-1851). This led to overcrowded conditions in cities. The public infrastructure could not hold that many people, so it began to fail. There was also an overall lack of hygiene. Old practices of dumping human waste into the streets was still being practiced. This ended up contaminating water supplies and spreading diseases, such as cholera, to the local populace. The close proximity in which people lived to one another also contributed to the swiftness in spreading cholera.

Eventually, some factors helped to limit the ability of cholera to spread. There was a movement to increase the sanitation of cities through public health departments and the building of modern water treatment facilities. Also, customs such as dumping waste into the streets were discontinued. The increase in public sanitation, overall, helped to stem the spread of cholera and decrease the instances of outbreaks.

The existence of multiple strains of a disease is often a scary thought. This can be the case with cholera. A more lethal strain of cholera is known as El Tor. The fact that it can live longer in water makes it a more deadly type of cholera. In addition, those who get it may have mild to no symptoms. This leads to increased chances for spreading the bacteria because those infected may not know that they are infected. Little to no preventative steps may be taken in this case.

There are several major contributors to the knowledge of cholera that we have today. One of those contributors is Dr. John Snow. Dr. Snow is known for his work in studying the 1854 epidemic of cholera in London. He was one of the few to understand that the water supply had something to do with the spread of cholera. He famously charted deaths from cholera in Soho and displayed them on a map. He recommended that the Broad St. pump be put out of service due to his research in the area. Also involved with this movement was Henry Whitehead, a priest in the Church of England. He knew the people who lived in the area well and was able to aid Dr. Snow in his statistics on deaths from cholera. He was also able to convince local leaders that the Broad St. pump needed to be put out of service. Filippo Pacini was an Italian scientist who was the first to identify the bacteria that caused cholera. He did not initially get the credit, however. The man who was credited with discovering the bacteria that causes cholera first was Robert Koch. He also independently found these bacteria and was credited as the first. All of these men helped to contribute to the rejection of the idea of miasmas, which was a huge scientific breakthrough at the time.

One modern day outbreak of cholera occurred in Haiti during 2010-2011. This outbreak followed the major earthquake in 2010. The El Tor strain was identified as the cause. Eventually, the El Tor was traced back to having come from Nepalese aid workers, who came after the earthquake to help and did not know they were infected. These aid workers contaminated a local water supply, which began the outbreak.

Today, the cholera outbreak has died down, though there still exist a decent number of cases. According to the Ministry of Health in Haiti, there were 6760 cases of cholera in 2017. Several new preventative measures have been taken in order to reduce the number of cases in Haiti and worldwide. An oral cholera vaccine has been given out. Toilets and latrines are being built. More aid clinics are built and serve those who are ill. Finally, new water filtration methods are being used, such as using a sari.

The largest item that remains to be done in helping countries particularly effected by cholera is a comprehensive clean up, as well, as a rebuilding of their sanitation infrastructure. These measures would reduce the incidence of cholera dramatically.

Yemen is also a nation particularly effected by cholera at this time. It is a war-torn country, and their public infrastructure is destroyed. This has led to unsanitary conditions, particularly unsanitary water. Unsanitary water directly results in the cholera outbreaks that are ravishing the country. The people of Yemen are also already malnourished, which contributes to an even greater death toll caused by cholera. Much needs to be done to aid this country and others like it in order to end cholera.

Cholera has and will continue to plague humankind as long as unsanitary conditions still exist. It is our duty to help countries develop the correct infrastructure in order to ease the suffering of those who are ill.

Help Received:

Cholera ppt from Canvas, http://www.ijdh.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Haiti-Cholera_Lancet-June-2017.pdf, Spellcheck, https://lewebpedagogique.com/asphodele/files/2013/01/cholera.jpg for image 1, https://media4.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2017_30/2087151/170728-cholera-yemen-mc-11-46_7507baa34ffe3c6ea05285098176eb69.nbcnews-ux-1024-900.jpg for image 2