Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by consumption of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Globally, there are 1.4-4.3 million cases of cholera, and approximately 28,000-142,000 deaths due to cholera, every year.
Symptoms
Cholera is a highly virulent disease. It affects children as well as adults and can kill if untreated within hours. In the majority of cholera infections (80%), however, the person will have no symptoms. Most of the people who have developed symptoms of cholera will experience only mild symptoms. Twenty percent of those with symptoms, however, will have more severe symptoms, including profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps.
Symptoms may occur within two hours for five days after the first exposure to Vibrio cholerae.
- Diarrhea with vomiting.
- Urination decreases.
- The body started getting cold.
- Accelerated heart rate.
- Feeling of constant fatigue.
- Blood pressure levels fall.
- Lack of water in the body.
- Dryness in mouth and nose.
Spreading
Cholera is spread by eating food or drinking water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae. Contamination occurs when fecal matter from a sick person comes into contact with food or water supplies. Even when a person infected with cholera has no symptoms, bacteria are present in the person’s feces for 1–10 days after infection. These bacteria can be shed back into the physical environment, possibly infecting other people.
Poor environmental management and congested areas dramatically increase the risk of cholera. Ensuring that food and water supplies are clean and well managed is the easiest way to prevent the spread of cholera. The development and use of tap-water systems, chlorination facilities, water filtration, safe water storage containers, and proper sewage disposal have helped reduce the spread of cholera.
Cholera usually does not spread directly from a person.
Treatment and care
- Appropriate treatment and care is received if approximately 80% of cholera cases can be successfully treated. This includes oral rehydration salts and electrolytes. The provision of clean and safe drinking water and proper sanitation is very important to control this deadly disease and other water borne diseases.
- People who are sick with cholera can be treated with oral rehydration fluids. Intravenous fluids may be administered if the patient is severely dehydrated.
- Often people are unable to eat food during cholera disease due to which their blood sugar level decreases.
- There is a lack of potassium in the body. Potassium deficiency has a direct impact on our health and heart.
- During cholera, a patient with a critical condition is at risk of kidney failure because the kidney gradually loses its ability to function.
What to eat in cholera?
Cholera is usually caused by contaminated water and food, Cholera bacteria become even more powerful after entering your body. In such a situation, it is very important to heal yourself quickly and eliminate bacteria, for which you need a better diet. First of all, whatever you eat should be clean and tidy. Along with this, lukewarm water should be drunk in a while. If you want, you can drink ORS solution, fennel water, and fresh fruit juice.
Prevention
- Wash your hands frequently with soap. You must wash your hands before eating food.
- Eat or cook only after cleaning fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
- Eat only fully cooked food.
- Keep the amount of water in the body full.
- Do not drink boiled milk.
- Make a distance by eating outside food or junk food.
