Cholera pandemic breaks out in South Asia; UK passes the Nuisances Removal and Diseases Prevention Act

Pandemic Origin. The third cholera pandemic began in 1846, originating in India as the third major 19th-century outbreak of cholera to spread far beyond its borders. Researchers at UCLA believe it may have started as early as 1837 and lasted until 1863. The disease reached North Africa, North America, and South America. In Russia alone, more than one million people died between 1847 and 1851.

Legislative Response. The legacy row asserts that the British Parliament passed the Nuisances Removal and Diseases Prevention Act in 1846. However, no supplied passage mentions this legislation or its specific date. The passages discuss the pandemic's timeline and mortality but do not provide evidence for the legislative act.

Early Impacts. The pandemic caused significant mortality in various regions. In 1846, over 15,000 people died in Mecca. In 1848, a two-year outbreak in England and Wales claimed 52,000 lives. In 1849, cholera killed many Irish Famine survivors, already weakened by starvation and fever, and caused deaths in Liverpool and Hull.