Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease caused by intestinal infection with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. People can become ill when they swallow food or water contaminated with cholera bacteria. The infection is often mild or asymptomatic, but can sometimes be severe and life-threatening.
In severe cases, immediate treatment is necessary as death can occur within hours. This can happen even if you were healthy before you had cholera.
Modern sanitation and water treatment have effectively eliminated cholera in most countries. It is still a problem in parts of Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.
According to reliable sources from the World Health Organization (WHO), between 1.3 and 4 million cases of cholera occur worldwide each year, causing between 21,000 and 143,000 deaths.
Causes of Cholera
Cholera is caused by the bacteria V. cholerae. The lethal effects of the disease are the result of cholera toxin (CTX), a potent toxin produced by V. cholerae in the small intestine.
V. cholerae interferes with the normal flow of sodium and chloride and binds to the intestinal walls. When V. cholerae attaches to the walls of the small intestine, the body begins to excrete large amounts of water, causing diarrhea and rapid loss of fluids and salts.
Sources of cholera infection include:
Drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated food are the main sources of infection.
Eat raw fruits and vegetables
Cholera bacteria enter the body through the mouth, often in food or water contaminated with human waste, due to poor sanitation and hygiene.
They can also enter by eating seafood that is raw or not fully cooked, especially estuarine shellfish such as oysters or crabs.
Poorly sanitized vegetables irrigated by contaminated water sources are another common source of infection.
In situations where sanitation is severely challenged, such as in refugee camps or communities with very limited water resources, an infected individual can contaminate all water for an entire population.
Cholera bacteria enter the body through the mouth, often in food or water contaminated with human waste, due to poor sanitation and hygiene.
They can also enter by eating seafood that is raw or not fully cooked, especially estuarine shellfish such as oysters or crabs.
Poorly sanitized vegetables irrigated by contaminated water sources are another common source of infection.
Cholera bacteria enter the body through the mouth, often in food or water contaminated with human waste, due to poor sanitation and hygiene.
They can also enter by eating seafood that is raw or not fully cooked, especially estuarine shellfish such as oysters or crabs.
Poorly sanitized vegetables irrigated by contaminated water sources are another common source of infection.
Symptoms Of Cholera
Cholera is a very dangerous disease that can cause severe watery diarrhea. It takes 12 hours to 5 days for a person to develop symptoms after consuming contaminated food or water (2).
Most people infected with V. cholera have no symptoms, although the bacteria can remain in their stool for 1-10 days after infection and are shed back into the environment, potentially infecting other people. affect
Among those who develop symptoms, the majority have mild or moderate symptoms, while a minority have severe watery diarrhea with severe dehydration.
Cholera symptoms may begin a few hours after infection or up to five days later. Often, symptoms are mild. But sometimes they are very serious. About one in 20 people affected have vomiting with severe watery diarrhea, which can quickly lead to dehydration. Although many infected individuals may have minimal or no symptoms, they can still contribute to the spread of infection.
Large amounts of explosive watery diarrhea, sometimes called “rice water stool” because it looks like the water used to wash rice.
vomit
Leg pain
A person with cholera can lose fluid rapidly, up to 20 liters a day, so severe dehydration and shock can occur.
Symptoms of dehydration include:
- loose skin
- Sunken eyes
- dry mouth
- Decreased hydration, for example, decreased sweating.
- Fast heartbeat
- Low blood pressure
- Dizziness or light-headedness
- Rapid weight loss
Treatment And Prevention
There is a cholera vaccine.
You can protect yourself and your family by using only boiled water, chemically disinfected water, or bottled water. Be sure to use bottled, boiled, or chemically sterilized water for the following purposes:
drink
Preparing food or drinks
Making snow
Brushing your teeth
Wash your face and hands
Wash fruits and vegetables
To disinfect your water, boil it for one minute (or 3 minutes on high) or filter it and use a commercial chemical disinfectant. You also should avoid raw foods, including:
Unpeeled fruits and vegetables
Unpasteurized milk and milk products
Raw or undercooked meat or shellfish
Fish caught on tropical reefs can be contaminated.
If you develop severe, watery diarrhea and vomiting — especially after eating raw shellfish or traveling to a country where cholera is endemic — get medical help right away. Cholera is highly treatable, but because dehydration can occur quickly, cholera must be treated promptly.
Hydration is the mainstay of cholera treatment. Depending on how severe the diarrhea is, treatment will include oral or intravenous solutions to replace lost fluids. Antibiotics, which kill bacteria, are not part of emergency treatment for mild cases. But they can cut the duration of diarrhea in half and also reduce the excretion of bacteria, thus helping to prevent the spread of the disease.
Cholera is rare in the United States with some cases linked to travel outside the United States or contaminated and improperly cook seafood from Gulf Coast waters.
If you are traveling to areas known for cholera, your risk of contracting the disease is very low if you follow these precautions:
Drink only safe water, including bottled water or water you’ve boiled or sterilized yourself.
Hot drinks are generally safe, as are canned or bottle drinks, but wipe the outside clean before opening. Don’t add ice to your drinks unless you make them yourself using safe water.
Eat food that is fully cooked and hot and avoid street vendors if possible. If you buy food from a street vendor, make sure it is cooke in your presence and served hot.
Avoid sushi as well as raw or improperly cooked fish and any type of seafood.
Stick to fruits and vegetables you can peel yourself, such as bananas, oranges, and avocados. Avoid salads and unpeeled fruits, such as grapes and berries.