Would Cholera become a Neglected Tropical Disease?

Cholera is a serious public health problem, particularly in Africa, Asia, South and Central America. Similar to the neglected tropical diseases (NTD), it is common in places with unsafe water, poor sanitation and limited access to the basic health care. In the concurrent times when the world is shrinking into a Global village, the definition of NTD itself has lost significance owing to rapid transmission of such diseases. Even, the cholera non-endemic developed countries in Europe, Russia and Oceania have become vulnerable to imported cholera. The seventh pandemic of cholera is in its 51st year without any sign of abatement despite improvements in sanitation, safe drinking water supply, promotion of oral rehydration therapy and availability of alternative preventive interventions like oral cholera vaccines. Cholera is markedly under reported due to a myriad of reasons including economic ones. The under reporting is also resulted from weakening surveillance system across countries which in turn contributes to changing perceptions and attitudes on burden of the disease and deteriorating public health services. In addition to this, lack of evidence-based sector wide programmatic approach and inequitable resource allocation for prevention and control of cholera may also risk the disease to become a NTD in future.