Cholera still kills thousands each year – in places without clean water, it’s far from history

the gist

Cholera is one of the simplest diseases to treat and still kills thousands each year, because the bacterium Vibrio cholerae causes watery diarrhea that can drain a person to death within hours. The cure is oral rehydration solution, a mix of clean water, sugar and salts, which lets most patients recover without anything more. Severe cases also need intravenous fluids and antibiotics, and in a functioning clinic fewer than 1% of patients die. The problem is that the cure requires clean water, which roughly 2 billion people lack. Reported cases rose about 175% from 2021 to 2025, and the WHO estimates true yearly cases at 1.3 to 4 million. Cholera has not been defeated; it has retreated to places with unreliable water and collapsed health systems, such as conflict zones like Sudan.

how it works

Cholera toxin makes the intestinal lining pump out huge volumes of fluid, so the body loses water and salts faster than it can replace them. Oral rehydration solution works because glucose and sodium are absorbed together, pulling water back into the body even while diarrhea continues. Without that replacement, dehydration can cause circulatory collapse within hours.

so what

Cholera shows that a disease can be solved on paper and still kill when water and health systems fail. Its spread in Sudan's war zone is a reminder that infrastructure, not just medicine, decides who survives. The WHO and partners aim to cut cholera deaths by 90% by 2030.

fun fact

John Snow's 1854 mapping of cholera cases around the Broad Street pump helped establish modern epidemiology.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗