Deadly disease believed eradicated in Britain claims first life since 1901

Britain is suspected to have witnessed the first death from cholera in 125 years, with a man in his 80s losing his life. Health experts believe the father of two died of the Victorian disease. He passed away on Tuesday at the George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton. He fell ill last week and was rushed to the hospital in Warwickshire after his condition deteriorated. There is no confirmation yet that he had contracted cholera, a disease that killed thousands in the United Kingdom during the Victorian era. The doctors suspected that he was sick because of cholera, and so they immediately quarantined him. However, if it turns out to be a case of the water-borne disease, then this would be the first death from it since 1901. Cholera is prevalent in Africa, and many people continue to lose their lives. Initially, they suspected he had norovirus. The UK Health Security Agency has now confirmed that the pensioner contracted a type of bacteria called Non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae.

The man had not gone out of Britain

The Sun talked to a source close to a family member, who said, "They have no idea how he caught it. They were asked by doctors if he'd been abroad recently, but he hadn't. He lived at home with his youngest son. It was incredibly dramatic. Doctors called them on Sunday and said he could have just hours to live. He clung on until Wednesday but withered away before their eyes." The person said that his eldest son was allowed to see him in full PPE gear.

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Cholera symptoms

Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It can manifest from less than a day to five days. It produces an enterotoxin that causes watery diarrhoea, along with stomach pain and nausea. Patients also go through episodes of vomiting, and it might just appear as food poisoning. As the body keeps losing water, dehydration sets in. If not treated on time, it can prove fatal. During the Victorian era, more than 100,000 people died from it between 1831 and 1865. However, safe drinking water and sanitation practices ended cholera in Britain.