aug 1, 1831 - Cholera Outbreak

Description:

In August 1854, Soho in London was struck with a severe cholera outbreak. Cholera is a gastrointestinal infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It is still prevalent in areas with inadequate sanitation and poor food and water hygiene and remains a major global public health problem today.

The classic symptoms of cholera are sudden onset profuse, watery diarrhoea, and nausea and vomiting. Its effects are dramatic, and up to 20 litres of water can be lost per day. If not replaced, this heavy fluid loss rapidly leads to severe dehydration, circulatory collapse, and in many cases, death.

Thousands of residents in the Soho area of London fell ill as a consequence of this outbreak, and at least 600 people died. But as awful as this outbreak was, it is likely that many more would have died if not for the work of a local doctor living in the area, John Snow.

(See John Snow for more.)

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