Cholera

Statutory notification

• Cholera is a notifiable infectious disease in Western Australia.
• Alert: Cases must be reported urgently by telephone to the local public health unit within a few hours of first suspicion of diagnosis.
• Case definition: See Cholera (external site) national surveillance case definition.
• Notifications:Notify using the online (external site)  infectious diseases notification form (see Frequently Asked Questions for guidance).
• See also description of statutory medical notifications in Western Australia.

Public health summary

• Infectious agent: Vibrio cholerae serotype O1 or O139
• Transmission:  Faecal-oral, food-borne and water-borne.
• Incubation period: Few hours to 5days (usually 2 to 3 days).
• Infectious period: While symptomatic and usually a few days post recovery. In some cases, carrier state may persist for several months. Use contact transmission- based precautions for hospitalised and institutionalised patients.
• Case exclusion: Exclude until asymptomatic, including normal stools, for 24 hours. If patient works in health-care, aged-care or child-care is a food handler or attends child-care exclude until asymptomatic, including normal stools, for 48 hours, then clearance with two consecutive negative faecal specimens collected at least 24 hours apart. See guidelines for the public health management of notifiable enteric diseases (PDF 497KB)
• Contact exclusion: Do not exclude.
• Treatment: Oral rehydration and as recommended by the doctor.
• Immunisation:  Cholera vaccination is available in Australia but is not completely effective. Refer to a doctor of your choice about protection against cholera before travelling overseas. See Australian Immunisation Handbook – Cholera (external site).
• Case follow-up: Conducted by local public health units. Locally-acquired cases are referred to the Communicable Disease Control Directorate (OzFoodNet) for further investigation.

Guidelines for public health units

• Guidelines for the public health management of notifiable enteric diseases (PDF 387KB)
• Guidelines for Exclusion of People with Enteric Diseases and their Contacts 
• Australian Immunisation Handbook – Cholera (external site)
• Communicable Disease Guidelines, for teachers, child care workers, local government authorities and medical practitioners

Notifiable disease data and reports

• Notifiable infectious disease dashboard
• General infectious disease reports