Cholera is a diarrheal infection caused by an extremely resilient comma-shaped bacterium called Vibrio cholerae. It’s typically ingested via contaminated water or tainted foods. This microscopic pathogen can survive in the environment without a host and reproduces most effectively in slightly salty, brackish water. Consuming large amounts of Vibrio cholerae may cause life-threatening dehydration via drastic diarrhea and vomiting.
Outbreaks often erupt when sanitation systems—clean water access, plumbing, and toilets—are unavailable or poorly maintained, particularly during humanitarian crises. Someone may be a carrier for the disease without feeling sick, releasing pathogens into the environment via their poop. Sewage runoff may spread via rain or flooding and spread the pathogen widely. The bacteria can also spread on the bodies of flies and the feet, feathers, and fur of animals.
The world is currently in the midst of its seventh official cholera pandemic, which began in the 1960s and continues to infect hundreds of thousands of people annually. In 2023, this pandemic sickened more than half a million people and killed more than 4,000.
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