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Cholera (also called Asiatic Cholera) is a water-borne disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which is typically ingested when drinking contaminated water, or when eating improperly cooked fish, especially shellfish. Cholera was originally endemic to the Indian subcontinent, with the Ganges River likely serving as a contamination reservoir. It spread by trade routes (land and sea) to Russia, then to Western Europe, and from Europe to North America. It is now no longer considered an issue in Europe and North America, due to highly efficient filtering and chlorination of the water supply.
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First pandemic:1816-1826
Previously restricted, the pandemic began in Bengal, then spread across India by 1820. It extended as far as China and the Caspian Sea before receding. |
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Second pandemic: 1829-1851
Second pandemic 1829-1851 - Second pandemic reached Europe, London and Paris in 1832. In London, it claimed at least 3,000 victims according to a 1832 article while in Paris, 20,000 from a humble population of 650 000, and 100,000 in all of France. |
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Third pandemic: 1852-1860
Third pandemic mainly affected Russia, with over a million deaths. |
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Fourth pandemic: 1863-1875
Fourth pandemic spread mostly in Europe and Africa.
1866 - Outbreak in North America. |
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Fifth pandemic: 1899-1923
Fifth pandemic had little effect in Europe because of advances in public health, but Russia was badly affected again. |
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Sixth pandemic: 1961-1970s
Sixth pandemic began in Indonesia, called El Tor after the strain, and reached Bangladesh in 1963, India in 1964, and the USSR in 1966. From North Africa it spread into Italy by 1973. In the late 1970s there were small outbreaks in Japan and in the South Pacific.
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January 1991 to September 1994 - Outbreak in South America, apparently initiated by discharged ballast water. Beginning in Peru there were 1.04 million identified cases and almost 10,000 deaths.
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