Tracing Survival: A Post-Infection Longitudinal Study of Cholera's Sociodemographic and Environmental Impacts in 1855 Bologna

Francesco Scalone, Università di Bologna
Cristina Munno, Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna
Edoardo Redivo, University of Bologna

This paper explores the 1855 cholera epidemic in Bologna, Italy, focusing on the role of the city's canal network and distinct occupational roles for women as contributing factors. Cholera, a waterborne illness, proliferates in contaminated water, and Bologna's canals likely influenced the disease's transmission. By leveraging cholera case registers, a longitudinal analysis will be conducted to assess the primary determinants of disease progression post-infection. This will enable us to examine the effects of key sociodemographic (occupation, age, sex, month of infection) and environmental (city district) characteristics on survival probabilities. Although women had a marginally higher infection risk, there was no significant difference in disease severity between genders once infected. This study suggests that while gender did impact infection rates, other elements, such as age and neighborhood, were more influential on the outcomes of cholera.

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 Presented in Session 150. Environmental and Social Dimensions of Infectious Disease Mortality: Historical Perspectives