“Cholera epidemics stem from the same basic cause: poor people living in crowded and unsanitary conditions, with inefficient public health monitoring and limited health care… But another cause is government denial and cover-up. Governments don’t want to admit the failure of health-care or surveillance systems, and they are afraid of the trade and travel sanctions that may result from a large outbreak. But inaction leads to larger epidemics: Treating a few cases of cholera with oral rehydration salts or intravenous fluids is relatively straightforward, managing hundreds or thousands of cases is not.”