How is cholera transmitted?

The bacteria leave an infected person in stool and can enter drinking water or food when sanitation, handwashing, or sewage control is inadequate. Raw foods washed with unsafe water, undercooked seafood, and drinks made with contaminated water can carry the organism. Direct casual contact is not the usual route, but hands, surfaces, and shared food can spread contamination when hygiene is poor. Safe water, properly cooked food, and careful handwashing interrupt this faecal–oral route.

Use sealed, boiled, or otherwise reliably treated water for drinking, brushing teeth, preparing food, and making ice. Wash hands with soap after using the toilet and before eating or handling food. Eat food that is freshly cooked and served hot; peel fruit yourself and avoid raw items washed with uncertain water. If diarrhoea develops, begin [Oral Rehydration Therapy](/treatments/acute-and-urgent-care/oral-rehydration-therapy/) and keep the person away from food preparation.

Get urgent care for frequent watery diarrhoea, vomiting that prevents drinking, dizziness on standing, confusion, marked weakness, little or dark urine, or a dry mouth with intense thirst. These signs can indicate serious fluid loss. Children and frail adults need especially quick assessment. Medical teams can replace fluid through [IV Fluid Therapy](/treatments/acute-and-urgent-care/iv-fluid-therapy/) when drinking is insufficient. See guidance on [Diarrhoea](/symptoms/diarrhoea/).

Ask which water sources are safe, whether recent exposure calls for testing, how to protect household members, when normal food preparation can resume, and which hydration plan suits the affected person’s age and health.