<prompt> During a cholera epidemic, what is the first step to be taken?Safe water supply and sanitationCholera vaccination to all individualsPrimary chemoprophylaxisTreat everyone with tetracycline  <response>: Pattenkoffer advocated improving local sanitary conditions as the best way to prevent or stop cholera Epidemics Robe Koch believed that quarantine and disinfection can only prevent cholera Cholera Cholera is an acute diarrhoea disease caused by Vibrio cholera Vibrio cholera : Gram-negative bacterium that produces cholera toxin enterotoxin, which act on C-AMP system of mucosal cells of epithelium lining of the small intestine to cause massive diarrhoea Classic biotype El Tor biotype serotypes: Ogawa , Inaba and Hikojima Incubation period : 1-2 days Few hours - 5 days Reservoir : Human beings only Rice-water diarrhoea Essentials for treatment of cholera : Water and electrolyte replacement ORS Ref: Park 25th edition Pgno : 247-256 