Cholera Hamburg 1892

About Cholera Hamburg 1892

In 1892, a cholera epidemic struck Hamburg, Germany, killing roughly 8,600 people. Hamburg relied on untreated water from the Elbe River while neighboring Altona filtered its water. The contrast between the two cities provided dramatic evidence for water filtration. After the epidemic, Hamburg built sand filtration systems. The epidemic also motivated cholera vaccine research. Waldemar Haffkine had developed a cholera vaccine in 1892. Haffkine tested the vaccine on himself and then on tens of thousands of people in India. The vaccine provided partial protection. Robert Koch investigated the Hamburg epidemic and recommended water filtration, sewer systems, and quarantine. The epidemic accelerated investment in urban water systems across Europe and America. The Hamburg epidemic demonstrates how infectious disease outbreaks can drive public health infrastructure development and motivate vaccine research.