Cholera

Statutory notification

• Cholera infection is a notifiable infectious disease in Western Australia.
• Alert: cases must be reported urgently by telephone to the Public Health Unit (Healthy WA) within a few hours of first suspicion of diagnosis.
• See notifiable communicable disease case definitions (Word 1.29MB).
• Notifications should be made using the communicable disease notification form for metropolitan residents (PDF 209KB) or regional residents (PDF 209KB).
• For notification of regional residents see contact details of Public Health Unit.
• See also description of Statutory medical notifications for WA Department of Health.

Public health action

Important information

• 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: Until asymptomatic, including normal stools, for 24 hours. If patient works in health-care, aged-care, child-care or 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 Department of Health OD0490/14 – Public Health follow-up of sporadic enteric disease notification (external site).
• 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, Department of Health – Cholera (external site).

Guidelines

• OD 0490/14 Public Health Follow-up of Sporadic Enteric Notifications (PDF 1MB)
• Guidelines for Exclusion of People with Enteric Diseases and their Contacts 
• Communicable Disease Guidelines, for teachers, child care workers, local government authorities and medical practitioners
• Australian Immunisation Handbook, Department of Health – Cholera (external site)

Notifiable disease data and reports

• Notifiable infectious disease dashboard
• General infectious disease reports