The NHS notes that while cholera is not present in the UK, it’s possible to contract the infection when travelling to areas lacking clean water supplies. Cholera can be contracted by drinking dirty water, eating food such as shellfish that has been in dirty water or handled by an infected individual.
Common symptoms include watery diarrhoea, nausea, stomach aches, and dehydration. If these symptoms become severe, it’s crucial to seek medical attention quickly and inform your doctor if you’ve been in an area where cholera is prevalent.
Cholera is typically treated by replenishing the body’s fluids, salts, sugars and minerals that are lost through diarrhoea. Rehydration solutions and plenty of fluids are usually the go-to treatment.
In severe cases, hospital treatment may be necessary, which could involve receiving fluids intravenously or antibiotics. A vaccine for cholera is available, but it’s generally only advised if you’re travelling to an area where cholera is prevalent and medical care isn’t readily accessible.
Aid workers and those involved in disaster relief who are heading to these regions usually receive the vaccine as well. It’s given orally, with adults requiring two doses a few weeks apart to ensure protection for up to two years.
As an individual battles a cholera infection, the bacteria end up in their faeces. An outbreak can happen when these faeces contaminate food or water sources, potentially causing infection in others. The cholera bacteria releases a toxin within the small intestine, leading to the body expelling large amounts of fluid.
Since 2022, Ethiopia has been grappling with a persistent cholera outbreak, with nearly 60,000 cases and 726 fatalities reported. The waterborne disease has now found its way to Europe after a few UK and German tourists returned home with contaminated holy water from Ethiopia.
Eurosurveillance reports that four individuals, aged between their 20s and 60s, contracted a multidrug-resistant strain of the disease upon returning from the African nation. Three were hospitalised, but all four have since fully recovered.
Cholera is transmitted through contaminated food and water. While three of the infected individuals had visited Ethiopia this year, one person fell ill after consuming water brought back from the Bermel Giorgis holy well by those who had recently returned, despite never having set foot in the country themselves.
Most individuals can survive cholera with timely and appropriate treatment. However, in low-income countries with inadequate water sanitation, the severe dehydration it causes can result in shock and death within hours.
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