All people (visitors or residents) in areas where cholera is occurring or has occurred should be aware of the basic cholera facts and follow these five basic cholera prevention steps to protect themselves and their family 1, 2.
The risk for cholera is very low for people visiting areas with epidemic cholera. When these simple precautions are observed, contracting the disease is very unlikely.
1. Drink and use safe water* expanded
- Bottled water with unbroken seals and canned/bottled carbonated beverages are safe to drink and use.
- Use safe water to brush your teeth, wash and prepare food, and to make ice.
- Clean food preparation areas and kitchenware with soap and safe water and let dry completely before reuse.
To be sure water is safe to drink and use:
- Boil it or treat it with a chlorine product or household bleach.
- If boiling, bring your water to a complete boil for at least 1 minute.
- To treat your water with chlorine, use one of the locally available treatment products and follow the instructions. For a list of products distributed by country, visit CDC’s Safe Water System website.
- If a chlorine treatment product is not available, you can treat your water with household bleach. Add 8 drops of household bleach for every 1 gallon of water (or 2 drops of household bleach for every 1 liter of water) and wait 30 minutes before drinking.
- Always store your treated water in a clean, covered container.
*Piped water sources, drinks sold in cups or bags, or ice may not be safe and should be boiled or treated with chlorine.
2. Wash your hands often with soap and safe water* collapsed
3. Use latrines or bury your feces (poop); do not defecate in any body of water collapsed
4. Cook food well (especially seafood), keep it covered, eat it hot, and peel fruits and vegetables* collapsed
5. Clean up safely—in the kitchen and in places where the family bathes and washes clothes collapsed
Traveling to an area with cholera?
The FDA recently approved a single-dose live oral cholera vaccine called Vaxchora. Vaxchora is recommended to prevent infection in adults who are 18 – 64 years old and are traveling to an area of active cholera transmission with toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 (the bacteria strain that most commonly causes cholera). For more information, please visit the Vaccines page.
More Information
For more information, please visit the following pages.
- Health Promotion Materials
- How Family Members Can Prevent Infection
- Infection Control for Cholera in Health Care Settings
- Vaccines
References
- Tappero JW, Tauxe RV. Lessons learned during public health response to cholera epidemic in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Emerg Infect Dis. 2011;17(11):2087-93.
- Waldman RJ, Mintz ED, Papowitz H. The cure for cholera – improving access to safe water and sanitation. N Engl J Med. 2013. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1214179
