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The most revealing aspect that I learned about cholera is the fact that it is most prevalent in underprivileged communities with poor sanitation and contaminated water. It is difficult for these communities to retain the resources that they need in order to improve these conditions without external help, which means that members of these communities are still actively getting infected by the Vibrio Cholerae virus.

Something that I learned about cholera that surprised me is that there are many world health organizations that are spreading helpful information about the disease and what it takes to prevent further pandemics. They are also raising funds in order to make this virulent disease dissipate from underprivileged communities and working with local governments to enhance sanitation and quality of water.

During my research, I came across the fact that this is an extremely rare disease in the US because of how unlikely it is for our food or water to be contaminated with this virus. I think that a Padlet assignment comparing how likely it is to be infected by a certain disease in the United States compared to other countries with higher levels of infection would be interesting.

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The social impact of cholera is vast, with third world countries and impoverished communities suffering the brute of this disease.
The main concerns of this disease is the financial instability that it created for families, with the loss of income and interference with work-related activities due to illness.
Urban area communities did change their societal behaviors by actively noticing cholera symptoms, which is something that was not observed by communities in rural areas. For example, residents in SE-DRC place greater importance to cholera symptoms such as signs of dehydration, which include sunken eyes, and mentions of rectal pain.
However, society as a whole, in African countries specifically, has not learned from the physical effects of the disease due to the continuation of poor sanitation and lack of latrines.
References:
Schaetti, C., Sundaram, N., Merten, S., Ali, S. M., Nyambedha, E. O., Lapika, B., Chaignat, C.-L., Hutubessy, R., & Weiss, M. G. (2013, September 18). Comparing sociocultural features of cholera in three endemic African settings. BMC medicine. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4016292/#:~:text=The%20social%20impact%20of%20cholera,albeit%20with%20significantly%20differing%20prominences.

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Back in the 19th century, the government response was non existent since there wasn't a lot known about the disease and no methods of prevention were implemented.
In the 21st century,we are currently amid a seventh pandemic that originated in South Asia. Leadership response taken by organizations such as WHO, the CDC, and UNICEF are all working towards one goal, the  prevention of cholera in countries with high infection rates.
These organizations are using innovative initiatives such as surveillance, oral vaccinations, social mobilization, and upkeep of sanitation and hygiene to limit the amount of cases.
The government response could have improved by taking the infectious disease more seriously and recognizing its high virulence. Individual countries were slow to act, but global health organizations have taken the initiative to combat and learn more about cholera.

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Cholera prevention steps that are recommended by healthcare professionals 

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The healthcare community has consistently neglected cholera and the disastrous impact that it bestows on settings that lack basic infrastructure. However, there have been advances made on how the disease should be handled.
The Global Task Force on Cholera Control have written a field manual that entails all necessary protective steps that should be taken in order to prevent Cholera outbreaks, such as increasing sanitation efforts.
New vaccinations are being worked on and two are currently pre-approved by the World Health Organization. These vaccinations would be administered to those living in an at-risk setting and where outbreaks are considered endemic

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Image depicts virulence regulation by the host cell and innate host response when encountered with V.cholerae 

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Virulence is the severity or the harm done by a pathogen to the host following an infection
Cholera has high virulence, with it being characterized as lethal
The fatality rate varies among regions affected by Cholera, it depending on the access to clean water that the region has
The untreated fatality rate can be as high as 50%
Virulence has changed over time, with the first six worldwide pandemics being caused by the classic biotype V.cholerae which is a much more virulent form of the infectious disease
The El Tor biotype, which is responsible for the current and seventh pandemic, is a milder form of the infection and has evolved to better survive aquatic environments

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Geographical distribution of cholera reported worldwide from January 2022 to January 2023.

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The disease has spread to all corners of the globe, with even the United States reporting cases of cholera.
Focusing on recent outbreaks, the disease is mainly distributed in areas of Africa and Southeast Asia.
The spread has taken at least 100 years to reach all areas of the planet, but some speculate that the first cases of Cholera surfaced in the Spring of 1543.
Once ingestion of cholera bacteria takes place, it can take 2-3 days for infection to appear, or even just a few hours for symptoms to occur.
The number of people that have been affected by cholera during its time on this Earth are well into the millions.
Between the years 2022-2023, 74,761 people have been infected with Cholera, with 745 of those cases ending in fatalities.

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Pandemic map of first Cholera pandemic in 1817, originating at the Ganges delta in India. 

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First detected in India, more specifically in the Ganges delta during the 19th century
V. Cholerae bacteria was the cause of the first cholera pandemic in 1817
V. Cholerae has multiple serogroups, yet, only O1 and O139 cause outbreaks
V. Cholerae is considered a zoonotic disease, meaning that it is an infectious disease that can be transmitted to humans from animals

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Vibrio is a genus of gram negative bacteria