Cholera is an illness that is caused by an infection of the intestines. This acute diarrheal illness is caused by the vibrio cholerae bacteria. You can contract cholera if you ingest food or swallow water that has been contaminated with the cholera bacteria. The symptoms related to this illness can vary in severity from mild to very severe and life-threatening.
About 1 in 10 people will experience severe symptoms associated with this condition. These include:
This infection can become life-threatening due to the extreme and rapid dehydration that it can cause. When the body has lost more than 10% of its water weight, this indicates severe dehydration. Severe dehydration is a medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention. Untreated dehydration can lead to kidney and liver damage and even death.
Vibrio cholerae causes cholera infections. This is a bacteria that causes the production of toxins in the small intestine. The toxins force the body to secrete a large volume of water, which is what leads to the severe diarrhoea and dehydration that are commonly related to this kind of infection. Cholera bacteria are often found in surface or well water or in seafood that has not been properly cooked. Raw fruits and vegetables and grains can also be contaminated with cholera due to irrigation with contaminated water or fertilising of crops with human or animal waste products.
Everyone can get cholera, but there are some risk factors that make you more likely to get it:
Diagnosis of cholera is often made solely upon the symptoms that a patient presents with. Usually, the symptoms are quite readily identifiable. You will also be asked if you could have come into contact with contaminated water or food. Rapid cholera dipstick tests are used in some cases to confirm that cholera is the reason for a person’s symptoms. These tests can help to warn others who live in the same area that there is a cholera outbreak so that outbreak control measures can be taken.
Prevention of cholera requires that you wash your hands with soap and water after using the lavatory and before handling food. You will need to rub wet and soapy hands together for at least 15 seconds before rinsing them. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used when soap and water are not available. Drink boiled water or bottled water rather than contaminated water or surface water.
Avoid adding ice to your drinks if you are not sure that the ice has been made with clean water. Always eat cooked food that is hot, and do not accept cold food from anyone you do not know. Avoid sushi and other forms of raw fish. Make sure that you wash vegetables and fruit thoroughly before eating them or stick to vegetables and fruit that can be peeled before they are eaten.
Treatment of cholera needs to be started immediately. Some people can die within hours of exposure to cholera. The most important aspect of the treatment plan will be the rehydration of the body with intravenous fluids and electrolytes to protect the organs. Antibiotics are sometimes given to those with acute symptoms to help shorten the severity of the illness. Zinc supplements have been shown to help control diarrhoea, especially in children.
Antidiarrheal medications and anti-nausea medications might be given to patients. NSAIDs and other pain medications will usually be avoided during the acute phase of the illness due to the potential for organ damage. Most patients will begin to feel better within a couple of days of treatment, but severe cases might take a week or more to fully resolve.