Cholera and its Implications for the Modern World

Travelers Beware! Do not drink the local water or milk. Cook all foods that may have been exposed to water. Do not eat uncooked salads, fresh fruit, or shellfish. Why are so many travelers to third world countries getting these warnings? The answer is simple, due to the infectious bacterial disease known as Cholera. Cholera is caused when the bacterium Vibrio cholerae infects the small intestine. A more precise name for the region infected is …

…ever, most of which were brought into the country by travelers returning from South America. No major outbreaks of this disease have occurred in the U.S. since 1911. However, small cases occurred in 1973 and 1991, due to poorly prepared shellfish that were imported to the United States from the Gulf of Mexico area. The excellent sanitation facilities in the U.S. translate into the near elimination of the chance of an epidemic of cholera ever occurring.