All That We Need to Know About the Current and Past Outbreaks of ...

The Cholera Epidemic Of 1832

The Cholera Epidemic of 1832 In June 1832, two events stirred up political conflict in Lower Canada: the Place d'Armes by-election, which turned into a tragedy costing several lives, and the cholera epidemic.

At the beginning of June, the Carrick, a ship that had come over from Ireland, reached Quebec with a few feverish immigrants on board.

Three days later, cholera took its first victim.

The illness spread like wildfire all the way to Montreal and then to Upper Canada. It quickly became an epidemic that moved through the shanty neighbourhoods of the urban poor, which were breeding grounds for contagion. The lack of sewers and garbage collection contributed to water contamination. Soon the epidemic was out of control and hundreds died each day, mostly in the large towns.

On June 14, 1832, La Minerve newspaper verified the spread of cholera.

"14 June, 1832: Since Monday morning Montreal is in turmoil and the alarm is growing every minute. There is no longer doubt that cholera is present. We recommend that the public observe strictly the Regulations of the Board of Health."

La Minerve tried to prevent panic from spreading, advising that:

"There is no use in becoming alarmed.When the illness appears, one must see a doctor and follow his instructions. The apothecaries have the necessary remedies in stock and their prices are affordable to all pocketbooks."

In reality, doctors were overwhelmed and powerless. They thought cholera was transmitted by fumes carried through the atmosphere. To purify the air, English officers tried firing off cannons and the Sanitary Office burned tar.

Alexander Hart, a Jewish merchant from Montreal, saw death all around him:

"None of us go into town anymore.Many are moving into the country. Yesterday 34 corpses passed our house. Today, 23... Not counting those in the old burial Ground and in the Catholic ground. 12 carts are employed by the Board of Health to carry away the dead who are interred without prayers."

By the end of 1832, the epidemic had claimed 9,000 lives, more than half of them in Lower Canada. Some Canadians held England responsible for this misfortune, citing its emigration policy for negligence, if not malevolence.

In a letter to his cousin, Jean-Jacques Lartigue, the Bishop of Montreal, spoke of the Place d'Armes by-election and the cholera epidemic:

"The other subjects that seem to me most worthy of your attention at the present time are: the murder of our "Canadiens" on May 21st, which the governor has since officially condoned; and the invasion of our uncultivated land by British immigrants who threaten to drive us out of our country and reduce our "Canadien" population, year after year, by the spread of disease."

This climate of death, fear and loathing helped kindle a political firestorm in Lower Canada.

Case Study: Cholera

Scotland did not escape the horrors of cholera.

Glasgow, then an overcrowded industrial city, experienced several cholera outbreaks. The first outbreak, in 1832, killed around 3,000 people in the city. Another outbreak in 1848 killed almost 4,000 people.

After another outbreak in the city, in 1855 action was taken to improve the city's sanitation and water supply. Loch Katrine in the Trossachs was dammed, and an aqueduct and tunnels built to transfer fresh water to the city. The scheme cost £468,000, a huge amount at the time, and took four years to complete.

The money proved well spent and, together with improvements in the city's sewers, the fresh water supply helped eradicate cholera outbreaks in the city.

Malawi Controls Deadliest Cholera Outbreak In History

Blantyre, Malawi — 

Malawi is emerging victorious in its battle against the deadliest cholera outbreak in the country's history, which has killed nearly 2,000 people since its onset in March of last year. Health authorities say the country has seen a steady decline in the death rate, with no new cases or hospitalizations for the past two weeks.

A cholera report, which Malawi's health ministry released Sunday, shows that the outbreak has been fully controlled in 21 districts. These include Chitipa, Dowa, Kasungu, Likoma, Mzimba South, Mzimba North, Mwanza, Nkhata Bay, Ntchisi, Phalombe and Lilongwe, which reported most of the cases.

Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said in a statement that a few areas are still reporting cases. These areas include Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Machinga, Nsanje, Ntcheu, Salima and Zomba.

George Mbotwa, spokesperson of the health office in Nsanje district, said the district is recording an average of one or two cases per day, but that number is lower than the average of about 30 daily cases during the peak of the outbreak.

"We have continued to record cases because about 50 percent of Nsanje is bordered by Mozambique. And these cases are coming from across the borders," he said. "We still have some local transmission but very minimal. And this is coming in because the adoption of hygiene behavior has been very slow."

Mbotwa said the cross-border cases largely happen because most Mozambican nationals stay away from their country's health facilities and seek medical assistance at Malawian hospitals.

He said, however, that efforts are being made to contain the cross-border cholera infections.

"We have done coordination meetings with Mozambican officials recently. ... That's the only activity that we have done but we find it very important because we are able to share prevention measures that we are implementing as countries," Mbotwa said.

Malawi registered the first cholera case in March of last year.

Statistics from the Public Health Institute of Malawi show that the country has recorded 58,870 cumulative confirmed cases and 1,761 deaths.

Malawi, however, has now seen a steady decline in the death rate, with no new cases or hospitalizations in most districts for the past two weeks.

Health authorities attribute the success story to various anti-cholera interventions, including the nationwide vaccination campaign the government and World Health Organization rolled out in May of last year.

Also this past February, President Lazarus Chakwera launched a national campaign against cholera which saw authorities ban the sale of already cooked foods in open places.

Health experts, however, have warned Malawians against relaxing the prevention measures.

"We should remember that we have had cholera cases throughout dry season. Which should be a reason that we can have cholera cases any time not only during the rainy season. Therefore, we encourage Malawians to continue observing prevention measures," said George Jobe, executive director for the Malawi Health Equity Network.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with bacteria. The disease affects both children and adults and, if untreated, can kill within hours.

The health ministry has advised people with signs and symptoms of cholera to promptly go to the nearest treatment unit.

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