Word: cholera
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...Cholera rages in many parts of Asia where poverty impedes sanitation and millions drink polluted water. There is still no really effective vaccine for the disease, which causes a debilitating diarrhea and deprives the body of essential fluids. A century ago, doctors tried unsuccessfully to treat cholera by fumigating victims in a large wooden box. But in East Pakistan, where cholera is a major killer, a team of U.S. Public Health Service doctors has developed a simple cure that may save thousands of lives because it is far cheaper than preventive measures...
There was, at least, one bit of luck in the situation. The cyclone of 1876 was followed by an outbreak of cholera that killed 50,000. So far, miraculously, East Pakistan's water supplies seem remarkably free of contamination, and there has been no sign of the feared flare-up of cholera, which is endemic in the area. Health officials speculated that, after decades of living in the Ganges Delta, the Bengalis must be pretty much inured to any calamity-bacteriological, meteorological, or political...
Almost a week passed before relief flights began to trickle food and medicine to the ravaged islands. On many islands, cholera and typhoid fever arrived several days in advance of government relief supplies...
...week's end, although some cities were ready to come to terms, the union refused to make piecemeal settlements. Meantime, public health officials worried about a possible outbreak of cholera. But the highest cost of the strike was being borne by nature. Britain's lovely rivers may take as long as ten years to recover from the polluting flood of raw sewage...
...cases, the kidneys and other vital organs cease to function. Even so, death results in only an estimated 15% of El Tor cases. With proper treatment, which involves administering antibiotics and large amounts of distilled water and salts, the death rate can be cut to as low as 1%. Cholera immunizations are at best about 70% effective against the disease...