Printer-friendly page
Type of Speech: 
Definition: 

an acute, diarrheal illness caused by a bacterial infection of the intestine. About one in twenty infected persons has severe disease characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these persons, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and shock. Without treatment, death can occur within hours. The disease can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water.