1 Dept of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, The Combined Program in Pediatric, Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Massachusetts General Hospital and The Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
The largest outbreak of the current cholera pandemic and the first to strike the Western hemisphere in this century began in Peru in January of 1991. Two hundred seventy-four thousand, seven hundred sixty-eight cases were reported as of August 7, 1991, with an average case-fatality rate of just over 1%.1 For more than 30 years cholera has served as the paradigm for watery diarrhea, fully treatable by fluid and electrolyte replacement therapy. More than 20 years of experience, including this most recent epidemic in our own hemisphere, has proven the effectiveness of this therapy when given by mouth. It is hard to imagine a more impressive benefit from a cheap and simple therapy.
Submitted on May 19, 1992