Britannica Sources used in this answer

How can people with mild or no cholera symptoms spread the disease?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

A woman in a pink dress receives medical treatment from nurses administering an IV at a crowded hospital in Saint-Marc, Haiti. — cholera A woman with cholera being treated by nurses at St. Nicholas Hospital in Saint-Marc, Haiti, 2010.

People who are infected with the El Tor biotype of Vibrio cholerae but experience only mild or no symptoms play a significant role in the transmission of cholera.

Because these individuals do not feel severely ill, they are more likely to travel, which facilitates the movement of the bacterium across greater distances and between different regions.1

Like all cases of cholera, the disease spreads via the fecal-oral route. Even without severe symptoms, infected individuals can shed the bacteria in their feces. If this waste contaminates water sources or food supplies, the infection can be transmitted to others who ingest the contaminated water or food. This process is particularly dangerous as it allows the disease to spread rapidly through populations and across continents as barriers to travel and commerce decrease.12