Cholera
Cholera is an infectious disease cause by bacteria that affects the
absorption of water in the small intestine. Sever cases cause violent
diarrhoea. It is the huge amount of fluid loss, which makes cholera so
dangerous. If the fluid is not replaced the body becomes dehydrated
and you could die within twenty-four hours. Treatment of cholera is
simple; replace the fluid lost with the right mixture of sugar and
salts. Water alone is not very well absorbed. If it is a server case
of the disease then admission to hospital may be suggest; they can
then replace the fluids straight into the bloodstream via a drip.
Cholera is caused by a bacterium called Vibrio Cholerea. The bacterium
begins to produce toxins when enough of the bacteria have accumulated
in the stomach. It is the toxin produced that causes the disease. The
toxin affects the cells of the gastrointestinal tract. This means the
affected person does not have ordinary diarrhoea but also losses a
large quantity of fluid along with it.
Cholera is transmitted through bacteria that are excreted in faeces.
If the bacterium comes in contact with drinking water, then it can
infect people. If you do not wash your hands after you have been to
the toilet then you can also pass the bacteria onto food; this also
can cause people to become infected.
Fish and shellfish that have been living in infected water can spread
cholera. Shellfish filter large amounts of water and concentrate the
bacteria. The cholera out break in Peru in 1998 was thought to be
related to contaminated algae; this is a very effective way for
Cholera to spread to coastlines.
Direct infection is a rar...
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...e of anti-biotic some people or infections become
immune to them. This makes the infection more difficult to treat and
also decreases the patient's chances of survival in some cases.
The cholera pathogen can be killed by using and anti-biotic, such as
doxycycline, but sometimes this is not necessary if you are able to
replace the fluids lost with salt water. Tuberculosis is treated with
a combination of anti-biotics. A combination is needed to prevent the
pathogen becoming resistant to it, which would cause serious
consequences to the patient. AIDS / HIV are also treated with a
combination of drugs. However anti-biotics do not kill of the
infection, mealy slow down its effects. If the anti-biotics are not
taken at the correct time of day then resistance to them may be
caused. Malaria is not treated with anti-biotics.
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According to the textbook handling the body of a deceased cholera- infected person has not shown to spread the disease to the healthy medical examiner, unless it is followed by the lack of hand
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Cholera is a water-borne disease caused by the spreading of toxins throughout the intestines by the Vibrio Cholerae bacterium. Bad hygiene and other unsanitary conditions such as contamination of food and water can result in this unpleasant infection. As stated in the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, “contamination starts when a person infected with cholera steps into a community water supply.” Cholera is more common in places with poor cleanliness and insufficient water treatment. These locations include environments consisting of brackish rivers and coastal waters such as an underdeveloped country like Africa. Cholera can affect anyone but is usually targeted at younger ch...
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As the western world expand many people became ill with cholera because of overcrowding in living space, in some cities overcrowding often involved quarters below street level, where water was constantly seeping in the living area. In many Latin and African country the cholera virus is more common because of poor hygiene, poor sanitation and lack of education on public health. In an outbreak, the source of the contamination is usually the feces of an infected person that contaminates water or food. The disease can spread like wild fire in areas with poor treatment of sewage and drinking water. In Europe in the 1800s many people became infected with cholera because there water drawn from the nearby streams and rive...
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Cholera is still an extremely significant disease worldwide with over 5 million cases being reported per year (Ruiting & Reeves, 2002). Cholera is a diarrheal illness that progresses rapidly and is contracted by ingesting the bacterium Vibrio cholerae which causes an intestinal infection (CDC, 2013). In many cases the illness is mild with hardly any symptoms at all, but in some cases it can become severe. Approximately 5 percent of people who are infected exhibit severe symptoms such as extreme watery diarrhea, leg cramps, and vomiting (CDC, 2013). These symptoms usually occur at a rapid pace and unless treated can further lead to dehydration and shock which can ultimately cause death within hours. It is estimated that over 100,000 deaths occur each year around the world due to Cholera. (CDC, 2013)
Cholera is a disease caused by the cholera bacterium Vibrio cholerae infecting the intestines. Usually, the illness is mild, and for some, symptoms of cholera never even present, but sometimes, the disease can also be severe. A severe case of cholera is “characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these persons, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and shock. Without treatment, death can occur within hours” (Cholera Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment). Normally, in a gentler case of cholera, the infected person only has mild diarrhea. “In 5-10% of cases, however, patients develop very severe watery diarrhea and vomiting from 6 hours to 5 days after exposure to the bacterium. In these cases, the loss of large amounts of fluids can rapidly lead to severe dehydration. In the absence of adequate treatment, death can occur within hours” (Cholera Symptoms, Ca...
Cholera was primitively native to the Indian subcontinent primarily around the Ganges river. The trade routes spread the disease to Russia, and then to Western Europe. During the Irish immigration period it was spread to North America. Cholera is no longer considered a critical health threat in North America and Europe due to filtering and chlorination of water supplies.However, it still affects developing countries and especially the children inhabiting them. (Balakrishnan/ 2008)