Cholera vaccine and Food

• Generic Name: cholera vaccine, live
• Dosage Forms: n.a.
• Other Brand Names: Vaxchora

Cholera is a bacterial infection that can cause severe, life-threatening diarrhea. Cholera is caused by coming into contact with water or food contaminated by feces infected with Vibrio cholerae bacteria.

Cholera is common in areas where sewage and drinking water are not adequately treated to remove contaminants. Cholera spreads easily in areas where there is poor hygiene and sanitation. Cholera outbreaks often occur in areas of overcrowding, among refugees fleeing from political or natural emergencies, or in other situations where there is limited access to safe drinking water and adequate toileting facilities.

Cholera is rare in the US and other developed countries with advanced water and sewage treatment methods. It is more common to become infected during international travel to areas where cholera often occurs, such as Africa, Southeast Asia, and Haiti.

You can also become infected by eating food contaminated as a result of handling by a person infected with cholera. Most cholera cases that occur in the US result from eating seafood that a traveler has brought from another country. Eating raw or undercooked shellfish may also be a source of cholera, especially shellfish from the Gulf of Mexico.

Most people with cholera have no symptoms, but the main symptom is sudden diarrhea, which can begin within 2 hours to 5 days after a person is infected. If diarrhea is severe, the body can quickly lose vital fluids and electrolytes, which can lead to dehydration or shock. If cholera is not treated quickly, death can occur within a matter of hours. Even without symptoms, infected people can still have cholera bacteria in their stools for up to 2 weeks.

With certain precautions, cholera can be easily treated or prevented. The cholera vaccine is used to help prevent this disease in people who plan to travel to places where cholera is common.

This vaccine works by exposing you to a small dose of live cholera bacteria, which causes the body to develop immunity to the disease. This vaccine will not treat an active infection that has already developed in the body.

Cholera vaccine is for use in adults ages 18 through 64 years old.

Like any vaccine, the cholera vaccine may not provide protection from disease in every person.