THAT'S THE WHY:We rarely see cholera in Ireland nowadays, but in some parts of the world it's still a routine misery.
There are an estimated three- to five-million cases of the disease and between 100,000 and 120,000 deaths due to the bacterium every year, according to the World Health Organisation.
Cholera is in the headlines because of an outbreak in Haiti – the first in decades there, with more than 3,000 reported infections and more than 250 deaths.
The strain of bacterium behind many cholera epidemics – including the Haiti outbreak – is Vibrio cholerae O-group 1, while Vibrio cholerae O-group 139 also causes problems in Bangladesh and India.
But how can such a tiny, free-living organism that likes to hang out in fresh and brackish water cause such misery when it gets into the human intestine?
It’s down to a toxin the bacterium produces. This protein promotes the secretion of fluid and electrolytes from the body into the gut, and the resulting watery diarrhoea can lead to potentially fatal dehydration and reduction in blood plasma volume.
Many people exposed to V choleraedo not become ill, and for those who do develop symptoms, which can set in quickly, relatively straightforward treatment to replace fluids and salts can be effective.
“Cholera, however, is a potentially fatal disease in those countries where it is endemic,” states the Health Protection Surveillance Centre website.
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