African biostatisticians have found cholera does not spread only through contaminated water or direct contact with infected people but can also be rapidly transmitted by flies, making outbreaks faster and more unpredictable.
The findings form part of a study by researchers linked to the University of the Witwatersrand Wits which examined how flies act as environmental vectors by carrying the cholera-causing bacterium Vibrio cholerae between contaminated environments and human food.
According to the university, this mode of transmission significantly complicates efforts to predict and control outbreaks.
