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How did narrow-necked water jugs reduce cholera transmission in Kolkata?

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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.

In Kolkata, where it is common for residents to store water at home, the use of narrow-necked water jugs significantly reduced the transmission of cholera.

This simple intervention proved effective because it replaced open containers, which were highly susceptible to contamination. By utilizing a narrow-necked design, the jugs prevented individuals from easily introducing contaminants into the stored water, thereby lowering the risk of fecal-oral transmission of the Vibrio cholerae bacterium.1