What is cholera?

Cholera is a bacterial infection that can cause severe diarrhoea. It isn’t found in the UK, but there’s a very small risk of catching it if you’re travelling in some parts of the world.

How do you catch cholera?

Cholera is usually contracted through:

Drinking contaminated water
Eating contaminated food (especially shellfish). This is less common
Eating food that’s been handled by someone with cholera

Every year there are millions of cases of cholera. It mainly happens in countries where there isn’t access to clean drinking water and there isn’t a modern sewage system. These are places like:

Sub-Saharan Africa
South and Southeast Asia
The Middle East
Central America and the Caribbean

Signs & symptoms of cholera

Cholera symptoms can occur just after a few hours, but generally develop within a few days of picking up the infection. Those who have cholera don’t always have symptoms, but the typical symptoms are:

Severe watery diarrhoea
Nausea
Vomiting
Stomach cramps

You need to speak to your GP or call NHS 111 if you’ve been in an area where there’s cholera and you have:

Severe watery diarrhoea
Symptoms of dehydration like feeling thirsty, strong-smelling wee or dark yellow wee

You need to let your doctor know you’ve been in a risk area for cholera. They may give you treatment to help stop you from getting severely dehydrated. If untreated, dehydration from severe diarrhoea and vomiting can quickly take effect, causing the body to go into shock because of a big drop in blood pressure.

Preventing cholera

If you're travelling to a country known to have cholera, there are a few ways you can help protect yourself which include:

Washing your hands with soap and water regularly, especially after using the toilet and before preparing food or eating
Making sure to only drink tap water that’s been boiled or sealed bottle water
Brushing your teeth with bottled or boiled water
Avoid eating uncooked fruit and veg (including any salads), especially if you haven’t washed and prepared it yourself with bottled or boiled water
Avoid eating shellfish and seafood
Avoid eating ice cream
Avoid having ice in your drinks

Cholera vaccination

There’s a cholera vaccination, but most people don’t need to be vaccinated. It’s usually only recommended if:

You’re a volunteer, aid worker or medical staff working in disaster relief or an area where a cholera break is likely
You’re travelling to work in a slum, refugee camp or area affected by natural disasters
You’re travelling to a county which is experiencing a cholera outbreak and care with food and water is difficult or isn’t possible

The vaccination is given as a drink. Adults have two doses which are given one to six weeks apart. This can provide protection for up to two years. The level of protection gradually reduces over time, so you’ll need a booster if you continue to travel to areas where there's a risk.

If you’re intending to travel, you need to have had both doses at least before going away.

Travel vaccination advice

Cholera - vaccination

Lalys Chemist