Unsanitary practices and environmental contamination fuel cholera transmission in developing countries

Rannyere, Gakololang C., Njagarah, John Boscoh Hatson, Lungu, Edward and Szomolay, Barbara ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5375-5533 2026. Unsanitary practices and environmental contamination fuel cholera transmission in developing countries. Modeling Earth Systems and Environment 12 (4) , 199. 10.1007/s40808-026-02840-6

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Abstract

The endemicity of cholera in sub-Saharan Africa raises the question about the efficacy of intervention and implementation of mitigation strategies. Currently, the strategy is to attend to disease clearance when the problem starts in areas facing inadequate clean water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, poverty and climatic factors. This study aims to show that the disease can be contained by adopting a non-pharmaceutical strategy which is cheaper than the strategy involving imported drugs. The study examines the impact of applying mitigation measures such as personal and environmental hygiene, modernisation of cultural practices, and treatment, implemented as a single strategy, double strategy, or triple strategy to contain the spread and prevalence of cholera. We have concluded that cultural practices concerning handling deceased bodies and communal eating at funerals do not severely impact disease transmission but serve as a reservoir for cholera bacteria and infection persistence in the population. Furthermore, we have concluded that cholera can be eradicated from communities in less affluent countries by applying non-pharmaceutical methods alone when these practices are adopted as part of the culture of the residents. The results show that when the model parameters are optimally chosen, the efficacy of intervention measures is enhanced and the disease spread is contained quickly.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Medicine
Publisher:	Springer
ISSN:	2363-6203
Date of Acceptance:	29 May 2026
Last Modified:	10 Jul 2026 11:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188032

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