What is it?

Cholera is an infection that affects your stomach.Those who are infected with Vibrio Cholera exhibit symptoms of severe vomiting and excessive rice-like diarrhea. These symptoms cause you to lose so many fluids it will eventually lead to death. The person affected epithelial cells pump water and electrolytes from the blood into the intestinal lumen causing the watery diarrhea. (Dr.Evans). Patients in the later stages of cholera experience severe stomach cramps because the lining of your stomach begins to wear away.  Those suffering from cholera experience an incubation period of 1 to five days.

How is it diagnosed?

 A physician must take samples of your feces of an infected person.

How is it treated?

If Cholera is caught in its early stages it may be treated in two ways.

1.     Anti-biotics which may include tetracyclone.

2.     Fluid replacement which includes salts and sugars or intravaneous rehydration.

The best way to avoid fatality by cholera is by giving a vaccine that has 25-50 % chance of working. This vaccine is given in a series of injections. If someone is going to an area of the world that is highly infested with the disease they should be given double the dosage.

How do you get it?

Vibrio Cholera is found in water supply and feces. These highly popular in countries with poor water supply and sanitation. You can also get cholera from food and drinks if a person infected prepares food and does not wash hands properly.

What countries are affected?

In 2009 the number of cases reported to (World Health Organization) increased by 16% when compared to 2008.  A total of 221,226 cases, including 4,946 deaths reported from 49 countries. The case fatality rate was 2.24% (Weekly epidemiology record, 2009).

 Recent problems sanitiation in Haitis has caused a recent outbreak in October 2010. This has killed over 1,000 people. This could be prevented if those in Haitis had clean drinking water and proper sanitation. (BBCNews, 2010). The epidemic has reached the capital of Haiti Port-au- Prince. On November 10, 2010 a reporter from the BBC asked a spokeperson from the World HealthOrganization about the condition of Haiti after the cholera infection the response was;

 “At the moment there is a small proportion of cases who need IV (intravenous) fluids, but if you have 100 cases that on average need 2.2 gallons you already need 1,000l of IV fluid and logistically that is challenging. Haiti has never had a cholera epidemic before and this is new for everybody.” (spokesperson from the World Health Organization).

 

 

 

 

 

Resources

BBCNews. 2010. Haiti races to stem cholera epidemic.

Weekly Epidemology Report. (2009). World Wide Health Organization.