How common is cholera?
In areas with inadequate sanitation, cholera is endemic. Many prefer to refer to a 30 year epidemic, on the basis that the disease does change with time, and spreads in waves from country to country. But the the underlying links between disease and untreated water is perennial and unchanging. The incidence in central America and Asia is declining, but major improvements in sewage and water systems will be required in many developing countries before the word ‘eradication’ can be considered. Only in the last few years have charities and governments recognized that water treatment is a vital component of any aid package; not just for cholera, but for a slate of water-borne diseases.
