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How does raw shellfish spread cholera?
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cholera
A woman with cholera being treated by nurses at St. Nicholas Hospital in Saint-Marc, Haiti, 2010.
Raw shellfish and other seafood spread cholera primarily through the fecal-oral route when they are harvested from environments contaminated with human excrement or raw sewage.12
Because these organisms are often filter feeders, they can accumulate the Vibrio cholerae bacterium within their tissues if the surrounding water is polluted. The risk of transmission is significantly higher when such seafood is consumed raw, as cooking processes that involve sufficient heat can typically destroy the bacteria. Additionally, the disease can be spread if food is washed, irrigated, or packed in ice that has been contaminated by feces containing the pathogen.12