First cholera pandemic
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The first cholera pandemic, also known as the first Asiatic cholera pandemic or Asiatic cholera, lasted from 1817 to 1824.[1] This was an outrbreak of cholera that was suspected to have begun at the a Kumbh Mela on the upper Ganges River. Previously restricted, the pandemic began in Bengal, and then spread across India by 1820. The cholera outbreak extended as far as China and the Caspian Sea before receding.
This was the first of several cholera pandemics to sweep through Asia and Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries. This first pandemic was unprecedented compared to previous outbreaks of the disease and affected almost every country in Asia. The pandemic is believe to have originated in the town of Jessore in 1817, although there were earlier outbreaks of Cholera near Purneah in Bihar but these are thought to be unrelated. Thousands of people died as a result of this pandemic, including many British soldiers. In December 1818, the pandemic had spread to Sri Lanka.
[edit] Spread
In 1817, Cholera began spreading outside of river delta of the Bengal river and Genges river in India where the disease had lived for a long time.[2]. In September of 1817, there was an outbreak of the disease in Calcutta and quickly spread to the rest of the subcontinent. In 1818 the disease has broke out in Bombay, in May 1820 the disease was found in Siam, in May 1820 the disease had spread as far as Bangkok and Manila, in spring of 1821 the disease reached Java, Oman, and Anhai in China, in 1822 the disease was found in Japan, in the Persian Gulf, in Baghdad, in Syria, and in the Transcaucacus, and in 1823 cholera reached Astrakhan, Zanzibar, and Mauritius.[3]
In 1824, the disease halted its expansion and some believe that it might have been due in part to the cold winter of 1823-24.[4]
[edit] Total deaths
The total deaths from the epidemic remain unknown although there are some estimates of death tolls in specific areas. Some estimate that Bangkok might have suffered 30,000 deaths from the disease. In Semerang, 1,225 people died in eleven days in April of 1821.[5]
[edit] External Links
[1] Goole Book Link to Epidemics and Pandemics: Their Impacts on Human History By J. N. Hays page 193
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