The burden of cholera

Abstract

Cholera is an acute secretory diarrheal disease that is perceived by World Health Organization (WHO) to be a highly contagious threat. Firstly discovered by an Italian physician, Filippo Pacini, the disease gains a reputation as the most feared epidemic diarrheal disease encountered in developing countries. Despite effort taken by WHO to reduce the incidence rate, cholera-endemic prevail in certain regions. Factors that contribute to the disease transmission and ongoing spreading in cholera-prone areas remain as elusive. Should an awareness and knowledge of cholera be developed, it is the residents of developing nation that stand to benefit the most. This review gives insight into the disease prevalence, pandemic, epidemiology, pathogenesis, disease transmission, major strategies and steps to be pursued toward controlling cholera.

Keywords::

• Cholera
• discovery
• pandemic
• epidemiology
• genome structure
• ecology
• antibiotic resistance
• pathophysiology
• toxins
• infectious disease
• emerging
• etiology
• diarrhea
• dehydration
• microbiology

Acknowledgment

The author is Universiti Sains Malaysia Fellowship holder. The author gratefully acknowledges Dr. Shymoli Mustafa’s help in checking and correcting the English language.

Declaration of interest

The author reports no conflicts of interest.