Cholera still kills thousands each year – in places without clean water, it’s far from history

While cholera launched modern epidemiology and has nearly disappeared in many countries, the disease never went away. It has instead retreated to the places least equipped to fight it.

By: Katrine L. Wallace, University of Illinois Chicago, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: July 29, 2026

Words: 1,179

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 6 days ago

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By Katrine L. Wallace, University of Illinois Chicago

Many Americans have heard about cholera only from “The Oregon Trail,” the retro computer game in which players try to get their 1830s pioneers to the Oregon Territory. If your wagon train comes down with this highly contagious bacterial infection, the pioneers could die from diarrhea and dehydration before they get out of Nebraska.

In the 21st century, the U.S. records fewer than 20 cholera …

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