Cholera is a disease transmitted though water.  It can be caused by toxic contaminants and can pose very serious health risks.

These health risks include severe diarrhea, which can be followed by shock or even death.  This occurs in roughly 60 percent of all untreated cases.

A Cholera Bacteria.  Photo Credit: Kenneth Todar, University of Wisconsin Department of Bacteriology.

The bacteria that cause cholera live in human waste, but it is believed that they can also exist in natural waters.  However, cholera bacteria can only live in water under favorable circumstances; they survive best at cooler temperatures, and in sea, sterilized, or nutrient-rich waters.  Cholera is most commonly spread through the contamination of water with human waste, but can also be spread through food, insects, or human contact.

Individuals infected with the disease are most contagious in the early stages of infection, since bacteria concentrations wear off with time.  In the best cases, cholera lasts as little as five days. The typical treatment for cholera is hydration therapy.  Antibiotics have been known to prove ineffective.  Preventive vaccines have been developed, but it is still possible for those vaccinated to contact the bacteria, and the vaccine lasts only for a short period of time. Cholera bacteria can be removed from drinking sources through proper water treatment.  Good sanitary practices are usually considered the best preventive measure.