Cholera
bacterial infection of the small intestine / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cholera is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.[1] It infects the small intestine.
There are many types (strains) of the Vibrio cholera bacteria. Some of them cause more serious illnesses than others. Because of this, some people who get cholera have no symptoms; others have symptoms that are not very bad, and others have very bad symptoms.[2]
The most common symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea.[3] In the worst cases, diarrhea can be so bad that people can die in a few hours from dehydration.[4]
Cholera is a very old disease. Writings about cholera (written in Sanskrit) have been found from the 5th century BC.[5] Throughout history, there have been many outbreaks and epidemics of cholera.
Cholera still affects many people throughout the world. Estimates from 2010 say that between 3 million and 5 million people get cholera every year, and 58,000–130,000 people die from the disease every year.[3][6] Today, cholera is considered a pandemic.[3][7] However, it is most common in developing countries,[8] especially in children.[3]