Is cholera a problem for US travelers?

Abstract

Only ten cases of cholera in US travelers have been reported since the current cholera pandemic began in 1961. No important risk factors were apparent from assessing the age, place of acquisition, duration of mode of travel before infection, or history of cholera vaccination of the travelers who acquired cholera. All of the patients received medical treatment and all recovered; there were no secondary cases. Nine of the ten were infected by Vibrio cholerae 01 El Tor, the strain responsible for the current pandemic. Using the number of US citizens returning to the United States by commercial air carrier from Asia, Africa, and Oceania to estimate the population at risk, we found that the chance of acquiring a reported case of cholera is less than one case per 500,000 returning travelers.