Cholera in Developing Countries (SQA National 5 Geography): Revision Note

Causes of Cholera

What is cholera?

• Cholera is a severe infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae

  • It spreads through contaminated water or food

• If untreated, it can be fatal within hours, but it is highly treatable with the right medical care

Global distribution of cholera

• It is estimated that there are between 1.3 and 4.0 million cholera cases every year

  • Between 21,000 and 143,000 people die from cholera each year

• It is prevalent in developing countries

  • This is mainly due to a lack of access to safe water and basic sanitation

  • Outbreaks often happen in the aftermath of a disaster (such as an earthquake) or conflict

  • Children are at particular risk and can die within 24 to 48 hours if untreated

• While cholera used to affect developed countries too, it has now been eliminated

Causes of cholera

• Cholera is mainly caused by drinking dirty/unsafe water that is contaminated by Vibrio cholerae bacteria

  • The bacteria are usually found in human faeces

• There are several contributing factors:

  • Lack of access to clean drinking water

  • Poor sanitation 

    • For example, no toilets or sewage systems

  • Poor hygiene practices 

    • For example, limited handwashing

  • Low food safety practices 

    • For example, washing food with contaminated water, or touching food with unwashed hands

  • Overcrowded living conditions help the bacteria to spread quickly

  • Flooding, which contaminates water supplies

Effects of Cholera

Effects of cholera on people

• Symptoms develop within 2 to 5 days of infection

• The most common symptoms of cholera include:

  • Sickness and vomiting

  • Muscle Cramps

  • Diarrhoea

• If untreated, this can lead to:

  • Severe dehydration due to loss of body fluids

  • Severe drop in blood pressure

  • Shock

  • Death

    • Up to 60% of people who develop cholera will die if they do not receive treatment

Effects of cholera on communities and countries

• Lower life expectancies

  • The death of loved ones causes grief for families and negatively affects their health and well-being

• Poor health and long-term sickness

  • This leads to a loss of income for the person and their family

  • This could cause them to fall into poverty

    • This may mean that families can’t afford to send their children to school, so they miss out on an education

    • They may not be able to afford sufficient food, leading to malnutrition and hunger

  • Crops may be left unharvested if farm workers are too ill to gather them in

• More sick days or people being unable to work

  • This reduces productivity and profits for businesses

  • This leads to lower tax income for the government

• More pressure on the health system

  • There may be a shortage of medication and doctors, leading to increased death rates

  • Money needs to be diverted away from other sectors, such as education, which could lead to slower progress in those areas

• Tourists may be reluctant to visit the country if there is an active cholera outbreak

  • This can lead to further loss of income for the national economy

Strategies to Manage Cholera

Clean water and improved sanitation

• Water can be boiled or chlorinated to kill the bacteria

• Piped water systems can be installed to deliver clean and treated water

• Wells can be dug to access clean groundwater

• Toilets and sewage systems can be built to ensure proper waste disposal 

Education

• Encourages people to wash their hands often with soap and safe water

• Encourages people to use toilets

• Teaches people about food safety and encourages habits such as:

  • Peel fruit and vegetables to remove bacteria

  • Wash food in clean water to prevent contamination

  • Washing hands before touching food 

 Medical treatment

• Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORS) help to replace lost fluids and salts

  • This is cheap and effective, reducing the death rate from cholera to less than 1%

  • If unavailable, an alternative is to make a drink with a litre of safe water, 6-8 teaspoons of sugar and 1-2 teaspoons of salt

• Intravenous (IV) fluids can be used to treat severe dehydration quickly

• Antibiotics can help to tackle severe illness and reduce the length of illness

• Vaccinations are used in high-risk areas and during outbreaks