3. Cholera
Some strains of the bacteria Vibrio cholerae are more dangerous than others and all of them induce an infection of the small intestine that is fatal.
Typically, it causes dehydration and mortality as a result of vomiting, cramping in the muscles, and severe watery diarrhea.
Beginning in 1817 in the Bengal region of India, cholera has existed for centuries and is considered to have its origins in the Indian subcontinent. Since then, it has caused seven significant pandemics.
People can get sick from the bacteria by drinking contaminated water that has been tainted with human feces. Sadly, cholera still claims the lives of 50,000 to 120,000 people year.
Dr. John Snow first realized the significance of clean water for public health and epidemiology—the study of how infectious illnesses spread—after a cholera outbreak in London in 1854.
