Contributing+Factors-Cholera

The primary contributing factor for the Cholera outbreak is the poor infrastructure and extreme poverty in Haiti. It is thought that this specific outbreak started through the deposit of Cholera pathogen in feces by UN soldiers into Artibonitethe River, which spreads downstream throughout Haiti. Cholera is a waterborne bacterial infection, therefore making this exposure in the Artibonate River especially deadly. Only 4% of Haitains in rural areas have water piped to their homes, and more than 1/3 of all Haitains travel 30+ minutes to reach a water source. This means that there is very limited water sources. Therefore, if one water source is contaminated, it is likely that many more will become contaminated. In this case, the Artibonite River provides tens of thousands of Haitians with their water, and is also exposed to Agricultural workers throughout Haiti. Therefore, a huge water source was contaminated, and people were unknowingly infected. Then they will most likely infect another source through a similar process, and the cycle continues. The lack of roads also contributes to the spread of Cholera through water. Solutions with components like chlorine can easily rid water of dangerous pathogens. However, without roads, the chlorine cannot be delivered to households.
 * Poverty/Infrastructure:**

Over 89% of people in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, already live in slumlike conditions. Specifically noted in many articles, is the impossibility of keeping hands clean in slum like conditions. This, adding with the trouble of getting clean water, makes slums a pit for infectious disease. When the earthquake broke out, many other people were put up in tents and therefore living in similar conditions. This lead to rapid outbreak of the disease.

The lack of roads leads to another problem for many Haitains. Luckily, Cholera is treatable and rescues more than 90% of infected patients. However, the treatment is available only to those people who can reach it, and with Haiti's lack of infrastructure and roads, this makes it very hard to reach. For those who are lucky enough to reach a hospital, the poor infrastructure and space poses as an equal threat to transmission of Cholera, which is transmitted through the bodily fluids of an infected individual. The more infected individuals that had to leave their homes to receive treatment and clean water, the more likely Cholera would continue to spread.


 * Biology:**

The biology of cholera also contributes to the rapid spread of the disease. The disease is spread through fecal-oral contact, and also through any ingested exposure to infected fluids. This makes Cholera an especially deadly disease when paired with an earthquake, which can destroy pipelines and sewage systems, causing people to have to go to the bathroom in public areas. This leads to more opportunities for mass contamination and fecal-oral ingestion.

Cholera also rapidly infects the body, making it require treatment in a short amount of time. This is a huge limiting factor, as with a mass outbreak, it is impossible to make sure everyone receives treatment that is necessary.

Cholera can never be eradicated because it exists in environment. This makes it an ongoing threat, that is developing on its own. We are also contributing to the strength of Cholera. In panic situations like the one in Hait, often wrong antibiotics are sent in hopes of ridding the disease more quickly. Unfortunately, this does more damage as different strains of cholera can survive different types of antibiotics. The sensitivity of a strain of Cholera is needed in order to identify what antibiotic to use.

There have also been many studies that illustrate the difference between a cholera strain that passes from human to human and a strain that passes from water to human. Allowing the virus to pass through humans makes it around 700 times more infectious. Therefore, when becoming infected by cholera, we produce an even more lethal strain. The science as to what makes this phenomenon happen is still being explored.

In our globalized world, research of Cholera epidemics like the one in Haiti could lead to understanding for future prevention of Cholera in many different societies.Therefore it is essential that during outbreaks like the one in Haiti, countries report the epidemic. Unfortunatelly, Cholera as a diseases carries a huge stigma. The disease itself, leads to uncontrollable diarrhea and vomitting, both of which often isolate patients from their society. Societies as a whole fear the stigma of Cholera, as they often feel it marks them as a developing society without clean date resources. Some countries don't report cases of Cholera because it is so common and therefore seen as a traditional part of their societies. These two factors limit our ability to combat Cholera and learn even more about its biology.
 * Stigma:**

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=cholera-outbreak-haiti&page=2 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/24/haiti-cholera-outbreak-spreads http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=haiti-cholera-clean-water-chlorine (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/26/world/americas/26haiti.html) http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/05/many-hands-make-a-cholera-epidemic-report-says/
 * Sources:**