Understand what cholera is and its origin. Discover the first cholera pandemic and others that followed.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Cholera | Overview, History & Pandemic
Table of Contents
Show
Frequently Asked Questions
Did cholera cause a pandemic?
Cholera is caused by a bacterium that causes significant diarrhea and can be potentially lethal. It is the source of seven pandemics through time. Most cholera pandemics originate in the Indian subcontinent.
Where did the first cholera pandemic originate?
The first cholera pandemic began in 1817 and originated in the Ganges Delta of India. The source of infection was contaminated rice. The pandemic spread along trade routes to distant countries such as China, Japan, and the Philippines.
What caused cholera in the 19th century?
Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Cholera thrives in warm saltwater and infects human through contaminated food and drink.
When did cholera begin?
Cholera has been reported for centuries, but the first cholera pandemic occurred in 1817. It has persisted until current time with the ongoing seventh pandemic.
How many died from the first cholera pandemic?
The first cholera pandemic began in India in 1817 and caused the deaths of over 100,000 people. Cholera has caused a total of seven pandemics and affects impoverished and less-developed nations.
Table of Contents
ShowCholera is an intestinal infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The bacteria lives in warm and salty water and therefore frequents the environment of coastal regions and estuaries. It transmits to humans through contaminated water or foods, such as shellfish, that originate in the water.
The bacteria produces a toxin that triggers extensive watery diarrhea. It can lead to rapid dehydration and electrolyte loss and can cause extensive illness or death. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that cholera infects 1-4 million people annually. The virulence of the bacteria varies from person to person. Some people who become infected have minimal illness that resolves on its own, while others suffer greatly or die from the illness.
 |
Cholera causes death and illness, but it can be treated easily in the majority of cases. The key to treatment of cholera infection is rehydration. If the illness is extensive, antibiotics will be administered to reduce the bacterial burden.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
The cholera history can be traced through many centuries. Cholera outbreaks were described throughout history and as far back as the ancient Greeks by Hippocrates in 400 BCE. A Roman physician, Galen, described a cholera-like illness in 200 CE. In India in 1543, "moryxy" referred to a diarrheal illness similar to cholera.
Over time, a cholera pandemic has recurred at least seven times and is still ongoing. These pandemics and the origin of cholera will be discussed in more detail below.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Where did cholera originate? The origin of cholera and the first major outbreak occurred in India during the 19th century. A pandemic refers to an infectious disease that spans entire countries or the world. Most cholera pandemics throughout history originated on the Indian subcontinent.
The First Pandemic
The first pandemic originated in India in 1817 on the Ganges Delta in Jessore, India. The source of cholera infection was traced to contaminated rice. The infection spread across the region following the major trade routes and spread to Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
The pandemic reached the Philippines, China, and Japan and lasted six years. The pandemic ended in 1823-1824 likely due to a harsh winter that killed the bacteria. Hundreds of thousands died as result of the first cholera pandemic.
The Second Pandemic
The second pandemic began in 1829 and was the first pandemic to reach America and Europe. It originated in India and spread globally through the military and followed trade routes to Asia and the Middle East. It hit Moscow, Russia, in 1830 and continued to spread throughout Europe.
Great Britain began to employ infectious disease protocols and started quarantines to reduce infection. It also established a Board of Health to manage the pandemic. By 1832, the pandemic stretched to the United States, Canada, and eventually Latin America. The second pandemic lasted until 1851.
The Third Pandemic
The deadliest cholera outbreak occurred during the third pandemic from 1852-1859. This outbreak began in India and progressed to spread worldwide. After originating in India, the infection spread to the Middle East, Africa, and the United States to circle the world.
During the third pandemic, a British physician known as the "father of epidemiology", John Snow. identified contaminated water as the source of cholera in 1854. He mapped cases throughout London and traced the source of cholera to a contaminated well pump. After the discovery, the pump was dismantled and cases dropped.
The Fourth Pandemic
The fourth pandemic occurred from 1863-1875 and the fifth pandemic from 1881-1896. In general, these pandemics were less deadly than the previous. The difference in these pandemics was that Great Britain and the United States were generally unaffected because of improved environmental management and water supplies.
The cause of cholera was first determined by Italian microbiologist Filippo Pacini in 1854. In his research, he described "cholergenic vibrios" but his research did not reach a vast audience. In 1883, German microbiologist Robert Koch studied cholera in Egypt and determined the bacteria called Vibrio cholerae existed in the intestines of ill patients. He claimed the discovery not knowing that Filippo Pacini had already discovered the bacterium.
A sixth pandemic occurred from 1899-1923 in India, the Middle East, and Africa. During this time, Western Europe and Russia were not affected due to improvements in the water supply.
The seventh pandemic began in Indonesia in 1961 and continues to this day. It spread through the Middle East and Africa in 1971. By 1990, over 90% of cases occurred in Africa. As developed countries improved water and living conditions, cholera became less of a concern. Cholera currently remains a disease infecting less developed and impoverished nations such as Zimbabwe, Haiti, Somali, and Yemen.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Cholera is a gastrointestinal infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The bacteria thrives in warm, salty water, and it infects the population through food and drink that comes from the water source. It has been present in the population for centuries, but was first identified and described in 1854 by an Italian microbiologist named Filippo Pacini. The recognition for discovering cholera was claimed later in 1883 by German microbiologist Robert Koch when he did not realize Pacini's discovery. A pandemic occurs when an infection spreads across a country or extends worldwide. Cholera has had recurrent pandemics over time with seven pandemics described. The source of all pandemics can be traced to an origin in the Indian subcontinents.
The first pandemic began in the Ganges Delta of India in 1817 and was traced to contaminated rice. It spread through trade routes to the Philippines, China, and Japan. It died out after six years in 1823-1824 due to a harsh winter. The second pandemic from 1829-1851 originated in India and this was the first time that cholera spread to America and Europe. During this time, Britain improved the conditions of its water supply which decreased cholera infections. The third pandemic between 1852-1859 was the deadliest outbreak on record. It started in India and spread worldwide. During this time, British physician John Snow mapped cases and identified contaminated water as the source of cholera. Pandemics continued to recur until the current seventh pandemic that began in the mid-20th century in Indonesia and still exists today.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Additional Info
What Is Cholera?
We've all had bouts of diarrhea. Yes, even if we don't like admitting it. Most of the time, we ran to the toilet 2-3 times or for 2-3 days, and then things just kind of went back to normal. But did you know that a bout of diarrhea can be deadly? Yep, it can be when it's a diarrheal illness called cholera, caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
 |
Cholera is actually an ancient problem, and that's what this lesson is all about: the history of cholera.
Early History
There is some evidence that points to outbreaks of cholera in the ancient world. The father of modern medicine, an ancient Greek physician called Hippocrates (c. 400 BCE), makes mention of it. Hippocrates heavily influenced a later Roman physician of Greek descent called Galen (c. 200 CE). He too described an illness that many presume was an outbreak of cholera. But cholera wasn't just a European problem. Reports of this illness have also been around in India since antiquity.
Recent History
The First Pandemic
Most of what we know about the history of cholera, however, comes to us from the 19th century onwards. In 1817, cholera caused a very lethal outbreak in India, which then spread to Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Three years later, an outbreak was reported in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Over 100,000 people died as a result of the outbreak on the island of Java (Indonesia). A year later, in 1821, Iraq experienced an outbreak of cholera that killed 18,000 people over three weeks in a city called Basra. This outbreak spread through Turkey and to the Mediterranean Sea.
The Second Pandemic
But it wasn't until 1829 that another serious outbreak of cholera reached all the way into Europe and the Americas. Cholera emerged in the major cities of Russia, Moscow and St. Petersburg, and spread to Finland and Poland along various trade routes. Using these routes, it made its way to Germany and England. By 1832, cholera had spread to Canada and the United States, where 5,000 people died in New Orleans alone. The outbreak continued to spread south to Mexico and Cuba from there.
 |
The Third Pandemic
While the first two major outbreaks — technically, pandemics — were devastating, the third outbreak was the deadliest. It began in India in 1852 and spread quickly through the Middle East, Europe, Africa, the U.S., reaching the entire world. 23,000 people died in Great Britain alone in 1854. English physician John Snow was able to prove that the outbreak of cholera in London in 1854 was coming from contaminated water. The outbreak was contained when the water pump he identified as the source of the outbreak was effectively shut down.
 |
The Fourth-Seventh Pandemics
Cholera again reared its ugly head in 1863 and then 1881 throughout the world. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people died throughout Spain, Russia, China, and Japan. It was around this time that German bacteriologist Robert Koch identified Vibrio cholerae as the causative agent of cholera itself, although he was apparently unaware that Italian microbiologist Filippo Pacini had done the same thing in 1854.
The sixth outbreak lasted from 1899 until 1923 and was particularly bad in India, Egypt, and Russia. It wasn't until 1961 that the seventh pandemic began. While the prior pandemics began in the Indian subcontinent, this one actually started in Indonesia. It was particularly devastating to people in Africa. Problems with cholera continue to this day as more and more confined or country-specific outbreaks have occurred in places like Zimbabwe in 2008-2009 and even in the United Republic of Tanzania as recently as 2016.
Lesson Summary
Cholera is a potentially deadly diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It is suspected that this disease has been around since ancient times based on its description by Hippocrates, Galen, and ancient Indians. The first six pandemics of cholera began in the Indian subcontinent and the latest one in Indonesia. While all of the pandemics have been devastating, the third one is believed to have been the deadliest.
In 1854, English physician John Snow identified contaminated water as the source of the cholera outbreaks. The same year, Italian microbiologist Filippo Pacini discovers the bacterium that causes it but his work is largely ignored or forgotten. It isn't until 1883 that German microbiologist Robert Koch independently rediscovers the bacterium and gains worldwide credit for it for many years to come.
The pandemics of cholera occurred in the following timeframes:
- Ancient Indians, Greek, and Romans report what appears to be outbreaks of cholera.
- 1816-1826 - The first pandemic of cholera.
- 1829-1851 - The second pandemic of cholera.
- 1852-1860 - The third pandemic of cholera.
- 1854 - Italian microbiologist Filippo Pacini discovers Vibrio cholerae. English physician John Snow finally proves that contaminated water is the source of the bacterium.
- 1863-1875 - The fourth pandemic of cholera.
- 1881-1896 - The fifth pandemic of cholera.
- 1883 - German bacteriologist Robert Koch independently 'rediscovers' Vibrio cholerae and is given large credit for its discovery as a result as Pacini's work had been largely forgotten.
- 1899-1923- The sixth pandemic of cholera.
- 1961-1975 - The seventh pandemic of cholera.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Register to view this lesson
Are you a student or a teacher?
Unlock Your Education
See for yourself why 30 million people use Study.com
Become a Study.com member and start learning now.
Become a MemberAlready a member? Log In
BackResources created by teachers for teachers
Over 30,000 video lessons
& teaching resources‐all
in one place.
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
Jennifer B.
Teacher
Back
Cholera | Overview, History & Pandemic
Related Study Materials
Explore our library of over 88,000 lessons
Browse by subject