CHOLERA
Cholera is a serious bacterial disease that is usually spread through contaminated waters.
- If left untreated, cholera can become fatal and eventually lead to death, especially among children and infants.
- Although it is easily treated, cholera is estimated to affect about 1.3 – 4 million people each year with about 21,000 to 143,000 deaths globally.
- Cholera has been virtually eliminated in industrialized countries due to the introduction of modern sewage and water treatment.
- However, cholera outbreaks are still serious problems in some part of the world with poor sanitation, war, famine, and crowding including parts of Africa, South Asia, and Latin American.
CAUSES
Cholera is caused by an infection with a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae. This bacterium is usually found in food and water contaminated by feces from an infected person. This implies that the source of contamination is by an untreated diarrheal discharge of a sufferer getting into waterways, groundwater or drinking water supplies. Drinking any contaminated water and eating any food washed in such water can cause an individual to contract the infection.
Raw shellfish, uncooked fruits and vegetables, and grains can also harbor the bacterium.
The deadly effect of cholera is a result of a potent poison that the bacterium produces in the small intestine. This protein referred to as CTX binds to the intestinal walls, where it disrupts the normal flow of sodium and chloride, causing the body to secrete enormous amount of water.
Cholera is not usually passed from person to person through casual contacts.
SYMPTOMS
A high percentage of people show no symptoms. However, if symptoms occur, they occur between 12 hours to 5 days of exposure and may include:
- Sudden onset large volume of pale, milky diarrhea that resembles water in which rice has been washed (rice-water stool).
- Nausea and vomiting
- Dehydration which can range from mild to severe depending on how many body fluids have been lost.
Symptoms of cholera dehydration include:
- Irritability
- Lethargy
- Extreme thirst
- A dry mouth
- A sunken eye
- Irregular heartbeat
- Little or no urine output
- Low blood pressure
- Loose skin
- Rapid weight loss.
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
A doctor may suspect diarrhea if you have symptoms such as watery diarrhea, rapid dehydration, and vomiting, especially if you have just consumed shellfish, traveled back from a place where a cholera outbreak is prevalent.
A stool sample may be sent to the lab to identify the bacterium, this is to confirm a diagnosis.
In remote areas, rapid cholera dipstick tests are now available to enable health care practitioners to confirm diagnosis early, resulting in a decrease in death rate and early public health interventions to control an outbreak.
TREATMENT
Treatment options may include:
- Rehydration to replace lost fluids and electrolytes using an oral rehydration solution (ORS). This treatment consists of a large volume of water mixed with sugar and salt blends.
- Intravenous fluids replacement for severe cases
- Antibiotics for people who are severely ill
- Zinc supplements to decrease the duration of diarrhea in children.
When traveling to areas where the cholera outbreak is prevalent, people need to protect themselves against cholera by having the appropriate vaccinations beforehand, drinking only boiled water or sealed bottled water as well as following good handwashing practices