In her twenties, TikToker Katy Colloton (@kcolloton47) was on a fun girls’ weekend getaway when she contracted cholera. So, she and her friend Melissa decided to visit their other friend, Kim, in Boston one weekend.
She and Kim loved seafood, so they went to every seafood shack they could find. They enjoyed oysters, crab, lobster, and shellfish until the weekend came to an end.
On the way to the airport, Katy stopped to get a Reese’s Pieces sundae. Afterward, she started to feel a little unwell and went to the bathroom.
While she was in the bathroom, she had the worst, most explosive diarrhea of her life. She flew home, and the diarrhea continued over the next couple of days. She thought it was just food poisoning, but she finally had to see the doctor when it wouldn’t stop.
The doctor had her do a fecal test. She went back home, sipped on electrolyte drinks, and tried to nibble on a cracker. All of a sudden, she received a call from the CDC.
They needed to speak to her urgently because she had tested positive for cholera.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cholera has been around for many centuries. The first cholera pandemic was recorded in the 19th century. Since then, six pandemics have broken out, killing millions of people all over the globe.
Cholera is caused by consuming food or water contaminated with a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae. The bacteria can be spread through the feces of an infected individual.
Many TikTok users poked fun at her for getting a disease that was prevalent in the 1800s, while others chimed in with the times they caught an illness that was out of the ordinary.
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“I got dysentery in Afghanistan in 2014. Worst feeling in the world. I couldn’t take three steps without having to find a toilet. Great weight loss plan, though!” commented one user.
“I got a parasite (cryptosporidium) from Lake George, one of the cleanest lakes in the U.S. Also had to speak with the health department, found out while I was in Vegas for my sister’s bachelorette,” wrote another.
“I had a waterborne parasite after visiting Boston. I was also contacted by the CDC! I was the only person in my county to have it. They asked if I was recently traveling in a third-world country. Anyway, 15 years later, my GI is still wrecked. Permanent damage,” shared a third.
“I’ve come close. Twice. Got a call from the state health department after my son’s fecal test. He had a weird, scary bug that could cause a pandemic. Fun. Years later, I ended up in the hospital for five days with salmonella from eating raw dough,” added someone else.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
