Cholera Fast Facts - CNN.com (CNN) -- Here's a look at what you need to know about cholera, an acute diarrheal disease which kills thousands of people worldwide each year. Facts: Approximately 200,000 cases are reported to the World Health Organization every year. However, the WHO believes the true number of cases annually is between 3-5 million, with 100,000 to 120,000 deaths. Cholera is contracted by consuming food or water contaminated with the fecal bacteria Vibrio cholerae. The symptoms are usually mild, but about 20% of cases include symptoms of watery diarrhea. Dehydration from rapid loss of body fluids is the reason the disease can be so deadly within hours if the patient is not treated. The disease's short incubation period of two hours to five days increases the likelihood of outbreaks. 80% of cholera cases can be treated and resolved with oral hydration salts. There are two two-dose oral vaccines available, Dukoral and ShanChol, but it may take weeks for an individual to have full protection. Cholera is rare in industrialized nations. People who live in areas with poor or inadequate water treatment, sanitation, and hygiene practices are more likely to get the disease. The world is currently experiencing its seventh cholera pandemic, which began in Indonesia in 1961. Statistics: 2012 - There are 245,393 cases in 48 countries with 3,034 deaths. In the U.S. there are 18 cases with no deaths. 2011 - There are 589,854 cases in 58 countries with 7,816 deaths. In Haiti, there are 340,311 cases. In the U.S. there are 42 cases with no deaths. 2010 - There are 317,534 cases in 48 countries with 7,543 deaths. In Haiti, there are 179,379 cases. In the U.S. there are 15 cases with no deaths. 2009 - There are 221,226 cases in 45 countries with 4,946 deaths. In Zimbabwe, there are 68,153 cases. In the U.S. there are 10 cases with no deaths. 2008 - There are 190,130 cases in 56 countries with 5,143 deaths. In Zimbabwe there are 60,055 cases. In the U.S. there are five cases with no deaths. Timeline: 1817 - The first pandemic begins in India, a place where cholera has existed for centuries. 1820s - The disease spreads east to the Philippines and west to Turkey and Africa. 1820 - More than 100,000 people die on the island of Java in Indonesia. 1821 - In Basra, Iraq approximately 18,000 people die in a three week period. 1829 - The second pandemic begins in India. 1830 - Cholera reaches Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia, its first appearance in Europe. 1832 - Cholera reaches the Western Hemisphere. In June, more than 1,000 people die in Quebec, Canada. More than 5,000 people die in New Orleans, Louisiana. 1852 - The third pandemic begins in India. This is considered the deadliest of the seven pandemics. 1854 - More than 23,000 people in Great Britain die, in the worst year of the pandemic. 1863 - The fourth pandemic begins in India. 1877-1879 - Approximately 90,000 people die in Japan. 1881 - The fifth pandemic begins in India. 1884 - The disease kills more than 5,000 in Naples, Italy. 1885 - More than 60,000 people die in two Spanish provinces. 1893-1894 - Approximately 200,000 people die in Russia. 1899 - The sixth pandemic begins in India. 1907-1908 - More than 20,000 pilgrims die of cholera during the Haj to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. 1923 - The sixth pandemic ends and cholera disappears from most of the world, except India. 1961 - The seventh pandemic begins on the Indonesian island of Celebes. It spreads throughout Asia during the 1960s. 1970s - Cholera reaches Africa for the first time in 70 years. 1991 - The disease appears in Latin America (Peru) for the first time in 100 years. Approximately 3,000 people die. 1994 - Cholera breaks out in Rwandan refugee camps near Goma, Zaire. Tens of thousands of people die within a month. 2008-2009 - An estimated 4,200 people die in Zimbabwe. October 2010 - Cholera breaks out in Haiti, and more than 6,600 die within a year. July 2011 - According to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, U.N. peacekeepers from Nepal most likely caused the October 2010 cholera epidemic. July 2012 - Cholera breaks out in Cuba for the first time in more than 100 years. August 28, 2012 - Cuba's government declares the cholera outbreak that inflected 417 and killed three, eradicated. May 22, 2013 - Haiti reports 657,117 cases of cholera and 8,096 deaths attributed to cholera since the 2010 outbreak. January 15, 2013 - The Cuban Health Ministry reports 51 new cases of cholera in Havana. 2013 - An outbreak in Mexico leads to 159 confirmed cases of cholera. October 10, 2013 - Human rights lawyers filed a class action law suit in a U.S. federal court accusing the United Nations of gross negligence and misconduct on behalf of victims of a cholera outbreak in Haiti in 2010.