Cholera is a disease, characterised by profuse, watery diarrhoea, caused by certain toxin-producing forms of the bacteria called Vibrio cholera. Cholera is transmitted by ingesting (eating and drinking) contaminated water or food. It is common in many low-income countries and is largely linked to poverty, bad sanitation, and poor access to clean drinking water.

You can contract the bacteria that causes Cholera through ingesting contaminated food or drinking contaminated water. Common foods posing a high risk are undercooked or raw shellfish and fish, however, any food or drink contaminated by infected persons pose a high risk, and if water sanitation is poor, large populations are at risk.

Cholera can be mild or occur without symptoms in healthy individuals. Symptoms include sudden, profuse, watery diarrhoea with associated nausea and vomiting. If untreated, cholera can rapidly lead to serious dehydration and shock; fifty percent of those with serious complications, die. With quick and effective treatment, the risk of dying is less than one percent.