Since the early 1800s, there have been 7 cholera pandemics, and 2011 marks not only the 1-year anniversary of the reappearance of cholera in Haiti but also the 50th anniversary of the onset of the current cholera pandemic that began in Indonesia in 1961. All previous pandemics lasted 5–25 years before burning out. However, the current pandemic has shown no evidence of abating. Cholera is a disease of impoverishment, displacement, and unrest, and the 2010–2011 Haiti and global cholera milestones are integrally related. In addition to Haiti, during the past 10 years, there have been major cholera epidemics in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Sudan, South Africa, Malawi, Liberia, and Vietnam. Cholera is endemic to >50 countries, affects 2–5 million persons each year, and kills 100,000. Most of these cases never come to public or media attention, and many of them occur in areas where cholera is deeply entrenched and often affects children. In some areas of southern Asia, most residents will have serologic evidence of infection with Vibrio cholerae by their teenage years
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