A team from the University of Hawaii has discovered the remains of a whaling ship on the bottom of Pohnahtik Harbour in Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia, which was sunk by a Confederate warship at the end of the Civil War. The Harvest was one of three American whalers sunk by the raider Shenandoah in April 1865 as part of the Confederate mission to limit maritime activity of Union vessels in the Pacific. Whaling oil was a major industrial lubricant at the time, and by sinking the ships, the South was hurting the North's industrial capabilities. The UH team is undertaking an expedition to recover the remains at what is now considered the westernmost battlefield site of the US Civil War. An outbreak of cholera on the island of Pohnpei has now killed eleven people.
Cholera results from poor sanitation conditions.
The bacteria which cause the disease are waterborne, so people living in or travelling through infected areas need to be particularly careful when eating and drinking. The minimum recommended precautions include drinking only bottled water, not eating raw fish, and avoiding swimming in polluted waters. Sudden and acute diarrhoea are two symptoms of the disease, so fluid replacement along with antibiotics are the keys to effective treatment. As reported in Scoop in May, Pohnpei, in the Federated States of Micronesia, is suffering through a cholera outbreak. The disease is spread through the consumption of contaminated food and water.