What is cholera Cholera is an infectious disease caused by a bacterial toxin that affects the absorption of water in the small

intestine. Causes of cholera Cholera is a form of gastroenteritis caused by a toxin produced by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The bacterium is part of the flora of brackish water and estuaries - it's when this water gets into the drinking supply that an outbreak can start. It causes severe diarrhoea and vomiting, and patients, particularly children and the elderly, are vulnerable to dangerous dehydration as a result. Symptoms of cholera In most cases symptoms are so mild they may go unnoticed. But in about five per cent there is a profuse watery diarrhoea, vomiting and leg cramp. Treatment of cholera Treating the condition, or rather alleviating the severe life-threatening effects, requires only simple measures. Normally, rehydration salts (mixed with clean water into a drink) are the only treatment given, although severely dehydrated patients may need intravenous fluids. However, the clean water and rehydration salts required are often in short supply in areas where they are needed most. Antibiotics can reduce the amount of diarrhoea. There are two oral cholera vaccines, but these are mainly aimed at travellers rather than wider use in a community stricken by the illness.