Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
CHOLERA
CHOLERA. Highly infectious intestinal disease caused by the contagious bacterium "Vibrio cholerae." The disease is transmitted by contaminated water and food or by carriers that are often insects. Infection settles in the intestines. Intense inflammation results in general body poisoning. Fatal in modern times in less than 3% of the cases reported, it brought fatality rates as high as 90% and was one of the most dread epidemics in early America.
Cholera struck Dubuque during July, August, and September of 1833. The disease was carried westward by troops of General Winfield Scott who came from New York to fight in the BLACK HAWK WAR.
Cholera again terrorized Dubuque in 1849. The first suspected cases were reported on May 30. Ten to twenty confirmed cases were reported by the end of June; by July 7 there had been eleven deaths.
Steps toward prevention of the disease included sprinkling large amounts of lime in the STREETS and alleys. Spread of the disease before the 1870s undoubtedly came from water supplies polluted from outdoor toilets often found near wells. Victims of cholera unfortunately consumed even more of the bacteria as they unsuccessfully tried to ease their unquenchable thirst.