What Is Cholera?

Cholera is an illness that leads to large, frequent, watery stools (bowel movements). It is caused by infection of the large intestine by Vibrio cholerae bacteria, which secrete a toxin^* that inflames the large intestine and prevents it from reabsorbing water. The illness often is mild, but it can be severe. In about 1 out of 20 cases, severe diarrhea and vomiting lead to rapid loss of water from the body, known as dehydration. Without treatment, death can occur within hours.

Cholera is spread by drinking contaminated water and by eating raw or undercooked food. The disease is rare in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, thanks to modern treatment of drinking water and sewage, but it is prevalent in Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. Travelers may run into the disease, as happened in the United States when air passengers ate contaminated seafood. The disease does not spread easily from person to person, and casual contact with an infected person does not pose a threat.

from http://www.humanillnesses.com/original/Cank-Con/Cholera.html