Cholera dynamics: lessons from an epidemic

Cholera is a severe diarrhoeal disease that spreads rapidly and affects millions of people each year, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. The disease is caused by Vibrio cholerae O1 and is characterized by watery diarrhoea that can be lethal if not properly treated. Cholera had not been reported in South America from the late 1800s until 1991, when it was introduced in Peru, wreaking havoc in one of the biggest epidemics reported to date. Within a year, the disease had spread to most of the Latin American region, resulting in millions of cases and thousands of deaths in all affected countries. Despite its aggressive entry, cholera virtually disappeared from the continent after 1999. The progression of the entire epidemic was well documented, making it an ideal model to understand cholera dynamics. In this review, we highlight how the synergy of socioeconomic, political and ecological factors led to the emergence, rapid spread and eventual disappearance of cholera in Latin America. We discuss how measures implemented during the cholera epidemic drastically changed its course and continental dynamics. Finally, we synthesize our findings and highlight potential lessons that can be learned for efficient and standardized cholera management programmes during future outbreaks in non-endemic areas.

Discussion about Gold Ores Mineralization of Collision-Type Orogeny in the East of Shandong

The mineralization of collision orogeny is an important part of continental dynamics. For the process of continental dynamics of Shandong, adoption of tectonic facies mapping is main carrier and specific expression form to these researches such as divergence of continental mass, convergence, collision and orogeny. Shandong tectonic facies mapping of 1:500000 scale worked out by author shows that there are two very important events of collision orogeny in Mesozoic this areaIndochina and Yanshan collision orogeny. The Indochina orogeny is mainly characterized as subduction from Yangtze to North China Plates, based on which Sulu high-ultra high pressure zone of metamorphism, syn-orogenic granite and post-orogenic high alkali sinaite are formed. Continental dynamics environment of the Yanshan orogeny derives from transformation from Central Asia-Tethys tectonic domain to marginal-Pacific tectonic domain and subduction of Pacific plates, and it appears as three orogenys and three stretching in the east of Shandong. Magmatic rocks of orogeny related with gold ores can be divided into four combinations as follows: Linglong gneissic granite of the early orogenic period (J3), Guojialing granodiorite-granite of the middle orogenic period (K1), Weideshan diorite-granodiorite-granite of the late orogenic period (K1) and A-type Laoshan geode parlkaline alkali granitesyenogranite of the post orogenic period. For combination of Guojialing granodiorite-granite of the middle orogenic period, SHRIMP U-Pb ages concentrate in 130~126Ma, which are closely related with emplacement of gold ores, and formed ages of gold ores this area concentrate in 115~120Ma, which basically stand for the age of main mineralization period. Polymetallic ores are related with combination of Weideshan diorite-granodiorite-granite of the late orogenic period, and it was also the superimposed mineralization period in the east of Shandong. Tectonics-magma activities and gold ores mineralization are controlled by interaction of three tectonic domains that are tethys, Paleo-Asian Ocean and Pacific. Dynamics background of gold ores this area is transition of tectonic system and lithospheric thinning in Mesozoic, which is related with collision of North China and Yangtze Plates and subduction of Pacific Plates.