Cholera is an epidemic disease and also it is highly infectious. It mostly affects the gastro-intestinal tract, which comprises organs like stomach and intestines. It has been persisted for thousands of years and breaks out generally in overcrowded places. This disease affects people of all age groups. The cholera disease is caused by Vibrio cholerae bacterium. One a normal person consumes food or water contaminated by the cholera-causing bacterium then it begins to multiply inside the body. Also the bacteria begins to interfere with the normal functioning of the body.

Some of the symptoms of cholera are vomiting, acute diarrhea and muscular cramps. The patient suffering from cholera may pass stools 30-40 times a day. Those stools appears like rice-water. This excessive loss of water results in dehydration in the body accompanied by fever. If this state of dehydration continues it could be fatal. In order to avoid the dehydration, Oral Rehydration Solution(ORS) should be given to the patient at regular intervals.

Some of the preventive measures are consumption of properly cooked food, use of boiled drinking water, a proper system for the disposal of human wastes. Also the number of people in contact with a cholera patient should be restricted. Improved sanitary conditions help in controlling the spread of this highly infectious disease.
Nowadays a vaccine is administered to protect against the disease cholera. This immunization with cholera vaccine remains effective for six months.