Cholera (Vaxchora)

What is it?

Cholera is a disease caused by the bacteriumVibrio cholerae. These symptoms often include diarrhea, vomiting, leg cramps, thirst, and restlessness. 

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More than 1.3 million people worldwide get cholera every year, and approximately 10% of people who get cholera experience symptoms. Although most people who get cholera do not experience symptoms, it can be a severe, and sometimes deadly disease. Because it can cause vomiting and diarrhea, people with cholera can become severely dehydrated very rapidly, which can cause kidney failure and death. More than 20,000 people worldwide die each year from cholera.

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Cholera spreads when people consume food or water contaminated withVibrio cholerae bacteria. This contamination is often caused by infected feces (poop). 

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The cholera vaccine, Vaxchora, is approved for people ages 2-64. It protects against the O1 serogroup ofVibrio cholerae. There are two serogroups of Vibrio cholerae that can cause disease (O1 and O139), but O1 is responsible for all recent outbreaks.

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Cholera is also an interesting and crucial part of scientific history. A particular outbreak of cholera in 1854 in London fundamentally shaped our modern understanding of how diseases spread (epidemiology).

Click here to watch a short video about this historic outbreak and its impacts.