Cholera

Cholera disease causes a sudden onset of extremely profuse, watery diarrhoea one or two days after ingesting the bacterium. The diarrhoea is painless, but large amounts of fluid can be lost in a short period—in some cases, more than one litre every few hours. If electrolytes and fluids lost from the body are not replaced, rapid dehydration can occur. With proper treatment, the patient can recover completely within two days.

Travellers who follow guidelines for eating and drinking safely are at a very low risk of contracting this disease. Most at risk are those who travel overseas as medical, defence, or humanitarian aid workers. Commonly, their destinations are areas where unsanitary conditions prevail and their source of drinking water may not be secure and/or reliable medical resources may be unavailable. This includes war-torn areas, refugee camps, or regions suffering the aftermath of natural disasters such as earthquakes or flooding.

An effective oral vaccine is available for those who may need protection.

In 1973, the World Health Organisation abolished the right of countries to require a certificate of vaccination against cholera. However, in rare cases, immigration officials in some countries may still demand this certificate.

The cholera oral vaccine may give a mild reduction in diarrhoea risk due to cross-protection against E. coli, a common bacterial cause of traveller’s diarrhoea. The product is not officially licensed for use this way in Australia. It is useful for those who have a higher risk of becoming unwell if they were to get diarrhoea and/or an increased risk of getting traveller’s diarrhoea: underlying bowel disorders, immunosuppressed, and taking acid suppressants for reflux, among others.

For mild cases of cholera, drinking plenty of fluids is key to relieving symptoms. In some severe cases, an infected person may need intravenous (IV) fluids or antibiotic treatments, particularly children and pregnant women.