Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Sep 21;35(3):e0021121.
doi: 10.1128/cmr.00211-21. Epub 2022 Jun 21.

Diagnosis, Management, and Future Control of Cholera

Fahima Chowdhury  1   2 , Allen G Ross  3 , Md Taufiqul Islam  1   2 , Nigel A J McMillan  2 , Firdausi Qadri  1
Affiliations
Review

Diagnosis, Management, and Future Control of Cholera

Fahima Chowdhury et al. Clin Microbiol Rev. .

Abstract

Cholera, caused by Vibrio cholerae, persists in developing countries due to inadequate access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene. There are approximately 4 million cases and 143,000 deaths each year due to cholera. The disease is transmitted fecally-orally via contaminated food or water. Severe dehydrating cholera can progress to hypovolemic shock due to the rapid loss of fluids and electrolytes, which requires a rapid infusion of intravenous (i.v.) fluids. The case fatality rate exceeds 50% without proper clinical management but can be less than 1% with prompt rehydration and antibiotics. Oral cholera vaccines (OCVs) serve as a major component of an integrated control package during outbreaks or within zones of endemicity. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH); health education; and prophylactic antibiotic treatment are additional components of the prevention and control of cholera. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Task Force for Cholera Control (GTFCC) have set an ambitious goal of eliminating cholera by 2030 in high-risk areas.

Keywords: Vibrio cholerae; WaSH; oral cholera vaccine; treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIG 1
FIG 1
Global distribution of cholera between 2016 and 2019. ★, the imported cases were from elsewhere in the country where cholera is not common. The red zones represent the affected countries where cholera is endemic during the 3-year period.
FIG 2
FIG 2
Life cycle of V. cholerae.
FIG 3
FIG 3
Management of cholera based on the severity of dehydration. These guidelines have been adapted from WHO guidelines for the treatment of diarrhea (58).
FIG 4
FIG 4
Flow diagram of the course of a cholera patient from admission to recovery.
FIG 5
FIG 5
Low-cost WaSH interventions for the control of cholera during an outbreak.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Sharifi-Mood B, Metanat M. 2014. Diagnosis, clinical management, prevention, and control of cholera; a review study. Int J Infect 1:e18303. 10.17795/iji-18303. - DOI
    1. Clemens JD, Nair GB, Ahmed T, Qadri F, Holmgren J. 2017. Cholera. Lancet 390:1539–1549. 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30559-7. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Deen J, Mengel MA, Clemens JD. 2020. Epidemiology of cholera. Vaccine 38:A31–A40. 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.07.078. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Richterman A, Sainvilien DR, Eberly L, Ivers LC. 2018. Individual and household risk factors for symptomatic cholera infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Infect Dis 218:S154–S164. 10.1093/infdis/jiy444. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. 2017. Cholera vaccines: WHO position paper—August 2017. Wkly Epidemiol Rec 92:477–500.