[The history of cholera in the Puglia region (Italy), 1836-1994]

Historians and epidemiologists agree that seven pandemics of cholera have occurred from 1817 to the present time. However they do not always agree on the date of onset and extinction of several of the pandemics. Cholera appeared for the first time in Europe and therefore in Italy in the first half of the 19th century. In this context, the population of the Puglia region (Italy) was first affected by cholera starting in 1836, during the second pandemic, and then again during the following pandemics and in more recent local outbreaks in 1973 and 1994. This article describes the impact of the disease in the Puglia region, not only in terms of morbidity and mortality but also in terms of collective behaviour and public health interventions. Information was obtained from documents held by the State Archives of the city of Bari and from local documents. This historical analysis highlights the great progress made in this Region in terms of environmental rehabilitation and control of infectious diseases.