Your favorite restaurant could be harboring a killer: How to outsmart cholera

A woman vomiting. (Courtesy/iStock)

Cholera is a deadly disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, associated with poor sanitation and limited access to clean water. But it has also been found in seemingly clean places, including affluent neighbourhoods, hotels and restaurants with poor hygiene practices such as handling food with dirty hands and using contaminated water to wash utensils and prepare food.

Cholera outbreaks in Africa have affected 18 countries over the last two years. In southern and eastern Africa, more than 6,000 people have died and nearly 350,000 cases have been reported since a series of outbreaks began in late 2021.