Cholera

How is cholera treated?
Successful treatment requires the replacing of fluids and salts lost through diarrhoea.

Is there a vaccine for cholera?

Yes. However, although there is a vaccine for cholera, it offers only limited immunity and the jury is out about whether or not travellers should be vaccinated.

While some doctors recommend it, others doubt its efficacy and suggest that travellers should rather take precautions with food and drinking water.

Regretfully, none of the current vaccines have the necessary combination of high efficacy, long duration of protection, simplicity of administration and low cost to make mass vaccination a possibility in cholera areas.

What's cholera?
Cholera is an acute illness that results in profuse watery diarrhoea. It's caused by the Vibrio cholerae bacterium, a relatively simple organism that lives in fresh water. Cholera is a bacterial infection.

How can water be made clean and safe?
Water can be boiled or bleach can be added to the water.

When should I seek medical advice?
If you have diarrhoea, especially severe diarrhoea and think you may have been exposed to cholera, seek treatment right away.

Where do cholera outbreaks occur?
Cholera is present in many countries. New outbreaks can occur periodically in any part of the world where water supplies, sanitation, food safety and hygiene practices are poor.

What can I do to avoid cholera?
If you are travelling to a country in which cholera is common a few basic precautions should be taken.

Is cholera life-threatening?
Yes. However, it's easily prevented and treated. Successful treatment requires the replacing of fluids and salts lost through diarrhoea.

What are the symptoms of cholera?

Cholera symptoms can range from mild to severe and include:

• Diarrhoea (look out for the characteristic ‘rice water’ stools or diarrhoea that has a fishy odour);



Which countries are most at risk?
Endemic areas include India, Asia, Africa, the Mediterranean, and more recently, South and Central America and Mexico.




How is the cholera vaccine made?
The cholera vaccine is made by taking the whole cholera bacteria and killing it with a chemical.




How is cholera screened and diagnosed?
Signs and symptoms may be unmistakable in an endemic area.




Can antibiotics and other medication be used?
In individual cases of severe cholera, an effective antibiotic can help shorten the illness, though rehydration remains the core treatment.