A National Cholera Vaccine Stockpile — A New Humanitarian and Diplomatic Resource

Abstract

Cholera is a severe and often rapidly fatal diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. People die from cholera because the pathogen elicits the secretion of large quantities (up to 20 liters daily) of bacteria-laden fluid from the intestine, resulting in extreme dehydration. If supplies of drinking water or food become contaminated with V. cholerae, the disease can spread through a population very rapidly.