Cholera epidemic associated with consumption of unsafe drinking water and street-vended water--Eastern Freetown, Sierra Leone, 2012

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2014 Mar;90(3):518-23. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.13-0567. Epub 2014 Jan 27.

Abstract

During 2012, Sierra Leone experienced a cholera epidemic with 22,815 reported cases and 296 deaths. We conducted a matched case-control study to assess risk factors, enrolling 49 cases and 98 controls. Stool specimens were analyzed by culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Conditional logistic regression found that consuming unsafe water (matched odds ratio [mOR]: 3.4; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1, 11.0), street-vended water (mOR: 9.4; 95% CI: 2.0, 43.7), and crab (mOR: 3.3; 95% CI: 1.03, 10.6) were significant risk factors for cholera infection. Of 30 stool specimens, 13 (43%) showed PCR evidence of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1. Six specimens yielded isolates of V. cholerae O1, El Tor; PFGE identified a pattern previously observed in seven countries. We recommended ensuring the quality of improved water sources, promoting household chlorination, and educating street vendors on water handling practices.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Animals
  • Brachyura / microbiology*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cholera / epidemiology*
  • Cholera / microbiology
  • Drinking Water / microbiology*
  • Eating
  • Epidemics*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Logistic Models
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Risk Factors
  • Shellfish / microbiology*
  • Sierra Leone / epidemiology
  • Vibrio cholerae / genetics
  • Vibrio cholerae / isolation & purification*
  • Water Supply
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Drinking Water