The Cholera Crisis
According to the World Health Organization, “Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.”1 Cholera induces high-volume fluid loss that can progress to shock and ultimately death. The National Library of Medicine’s website cites an estimate of more than four million cases per year, worldwide.2 Cholera developed as a major health crisis in Haiti amid relief efforts following the 2010 earthquake. It started in a camp of foreign volunteers, probably with a leak in their sewage system. From there, the disease easily infected the ground water—and once cholera infects [...]
