Before 1991, very little cholera was reported in Peru. Then, under unusual circumstances, it infected Peru's coastal waters and the fish which are so important to the local diet. The organism responsible for cholera, Vibrio cholerae occurs naturally in the plankton of fresh, brackish, and salt water, attached primarily to copepods in the zooplankton. The coastal waters were unusually warm and untreated sewage supported unusually large zooplankton blooms.
In order to quell the bad publicity regarding the quality of his country's coastal waters, then President Fujimori wished to demonstrate to his citizens that the press reports were exaggerated. He boldly posed for public television cameras eating some locally-prepared ceviche. Within 12 hours, he came down with cholera confirming that pathogens are a biological, rather than a political phenomenon. That cholera outbreak eventually killed 3,500 people.
Fortunately, doctors quickly turned to effective and inexpensive oral rehydration therapy with clean water and salt. If not, the death toll would have been much greater.
Cholera is characterized by prolonged episodes of diarrhea and it is critical to ensure that lost fluids and salts are fully replaced. Common table salt (sodium chloride) is the key electrolyte that has to be replenished along with water.
Now some officials worry that climate change could bring the scourge back to Peru and are making doubly certain to make the population aware of the need to keep themselves fully hydrated and electrolyte-balanced, proving once again that salt is an essential element of life and good health.
