Cholera can be imported via travelers from areas still endemic with cholera exposure to street, or other contaminated foods. Cholera and other waterborne diseases remain major global public health problems in the 21st century, particularly in areas of poverty. Both the WHO and the United Nations have recently acknowledged that the Haitian epidemic resulted from entry of the organism into poor hygienic camps by UN troops that were sent in to maintain order. Epidemiologists identified that the cholera strain found in Haiti was the same as one that originated in Nepal, where the disease is still endemic. Improving Haiti’s water and sanitation infrastructure is critical to achieving large health gains and reducing the opportunity for cholera to spread with responsibility attributed to United Nation peacekeeper soldiers from Nepal.
I found this part interesting because it showed that cholera is not just a historical disease but can also be a continuing global health issue. These issues can increase because of poor sanitation in highly populated areas. The way they were able to track the strain to the source shows how important epidemiology is in tracking and preventing disease spreading. I'm very interested to learn more about how this works and hear other examples.