The bacteria that causes cholera is evolving to become more resistant to drugs that treat the illness.
In Kenya, for example, strains with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase resistance — which are extremely drug resistant — made their first presence in the East African country just over a decade ago, Samuel Kariuki, eastern Africa director for the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, or DNDi, told an audience at a recent public health conference in Zambia.
These strains are more persistent in the environment than their predecessors and outbreaks hit when least expected, including during the dry season — which can come as a shock for a water-borne illness.