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Chapter 38 - Cholera

from Section 5 - Bacterial Infections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2025

By
Samuel Duodu ,
Gloria Ansa  and
Japheth A. Opintan
Edited by
David Mabey ,
Martin W. Weber ,
Moffat Nyirenda ,
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu ,
Jackson Orem ,
Laura Benjamin ,
Michael Marks  and
Nicholas A. Feasey
David Mabey
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Martin W. Weber
Affiliation:
World Health Organization
Moffat Nyirenda
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu
Affiliation:
Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana
Jackson Orem
Affiliation:
Uganda Cancer Institute, Kampala
Laura Benjamin
Affiliation:
University College London
Michael Marks
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Nicholas A. Feasey
Affiliation:
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
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Summary

Cholera is a potentially lethal diarrhoeal disease that is mainly transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated water and food. The disease onset is sudden and can lead to severe dehydration, resulting in death when fluid and electrolyte replacement is not done promptly. With its short incubation period, between 12 hours to 5 days, patients with cholera and who are severely dehydrated may see sunrise but not sunset, or the reverse.

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Chapter
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Principles of Medicine in Africa , pp. 429 - 433
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

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Danso, E.K. et al. (2020). A molecular and epidemiological study of Vibrio cholerae isolates from cholera outbreaks in southern Ghana. PloS One, 15, e0236016.10.1371/journal.pone.0236016CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
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