Cholera is an infectious bacterial disease that affects people who live in poor or non-developing countries in which clean water and other sanitation measures are not found (Plaut 1). People usually acquire cholera when they drink water or eat food that is contaminated with Vibrio Cholerae, which is a bacterium that develops and infection in the walls of the small intestine. If left untreated cholera can be fatal in a matter of hours, even if you were healthy before, since it causes severe diarrhea and vomit which can then lead to dehydration (Mayo Clinic Staff). Most scientists believe that the first major cholera epidemic took place on 1817 in India. In this time many poor villagers were starving since crops couldn’t be grown. Because …show more content…
Some people with cholera have no signs or symptoms, but some cases are more drastic and can be life-threatening (cholera 2). The infection is often a calm illness with common diarrhea that can evolve without any symptoms, but the disease can still be passed on to another person. Usually, cholera begins with stomach pains without feeling sick and maybe a mild fever for a short time. Then vomiting and diarrhea begins and it may take several hours. Suddenly, the body starts losing a lot of water which may be as high as one litre per hour (Easmon 14). If treatment is not taken and fluids are not replaced, the water loss can exceed five to ten litres which is when the consequences can become fatal. If this happens, the body starts to get dehydrated and this can produce floppy skin, muscle cramps and a harsh voice. Also, it can affect the level of consciousness which leads to confusion and drowsiness. In children, the loss of electrolytes can cause convulsions or cardiac arrest (Easmon 16). Cholera is a disease that requires immediate treatment, since it can cause death within a short period of time. The treatment for this disease is really simple and effective. The primary treatment for cholera is to replace all the fluids and electrolytes lost through the diarrhea and vomiting. When people have mild dehydration, it is recommended to drink rehydration …show more content…
Everyone who drinks or eats food that have not been treated to eliminate V. cholerae is susceptible to cholera. “There has been an ongoing global pandemic in Asia, Africa (recently in Zimbabwe in 2008-2009), and Latin America for the last four decades”, this was said by the CDC on November 2012 (cholera 1). Epidemics occur in a country when there are natural disasters or other reasons that can cause the loss of sanitation and clean food or water. For example, after the earthquake in Haiti, the sanitary facilities were destroyed, therefore V. cholerae contaminated the waters and an outbreak of cholera began spreading through the neighboring countries (Giroux 73).
There are some persons that are more susceptible to cholera than others. People who are malnourished and live in poor and unsanitary conditions are most likely to get the disease. Also, children that are about two to four years old are at a higher risk than older children, since less bacteria is needed for cholera to become active. Researchers have also added that people with blood type O are twice more likely to develop cholera than others(cholera
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
Many children around the world , especially in third world countries suffer many bacterial infection of the gastrointestinal system as a result of lack of awareness and the spread of the disease in the less attention to hygiene and the environment . In order to explain this word gastrointestinal tract infection , especially the stomach and intestines , it can result from infection by bacteria or virus or other parasites (1) . Some of the causes of inflammation as a result of eating food poisoning , especially meat and eggs . However , some symptoms of severe cases are headache , nausea , vomiting , general weakness , diarrhea and pain , the illness begins suddenly with high fever , vomiting , abdominal pain and stool liquid to water that may contain some blood and mucus . The result of drought through loss of fluids and salts and lead an alliance with the poisoning to the collapse of the circulatory system in diseases such as cholera (2) . It must be conducted in diagnosing bacterial to find the source of infection because it causes illness and death of millions in the third world and in particularly children as mentioned . In this report will refer to the most common types of bacteria cause gastrointestinal tract infection for example , Shigella , Salmonella , Vibrio and Campylobacter (3) . First of all , Shigella is gram negative , nonmotile , non lactose fermenting and H2S production . There are four important species , S. sonnei , S. flexneri , S. boydii and S. dysenteriae is the most serious . Next is Salmonella which is gram negative as well , non lactose fermenting and production H2S . These species are S. typhi and S. paratyphi found in humans and animals . Finally , Campylobacter is gram negati...
Charles Rosenberg’s article Cholera in the nineteenth-century Europe: A tool for social and economic analysis evaluates the impact of epidemics on society and the changes that ensue as a result. It is Rosenberg’s view that most economic historians overlook the overall importance of epidemics by focusing primarily on economic growth. Rosenberg’s article aims to bring a more human approach to the Cholera epidemic while showing its potential to affect every aspect of society (453). Rosenberg believes epidemics are an event that show the social values and attitudes towards science, religion and innovation at that particular moment in time (452). His thesis for the article begs the question, what was needed at that time for the culmination of all
in the Time of Cholera was unveiled to the anxious world. It was highly received,
still a factor that continuously infects humans. In Foodborne Diseases, it says that “They [Salmonell...
Usually, they were emptied by the ‘soil men’ at night. These men took the solid human waste away. However, in poorer places, the solid waste was just thrown in a large pile close to the houses. The liquid from the toilets including the waste seeped down into the earth and contaminated the water supplies. These liquids carried diseases causing germs to grow in the water. The most frightening disease of all was cholera. Many families dealt with cholera and many did not survive. Cholera originated from India. It quickly spread from Russia and Asia then eventually Europe during the industrial revolution. By this time Cholera has already reached London in February 1832. Cholera is a violent sickness and diarrhoea. It causes dehydration and loss of Blood fluid in the body. Over 50% of families who contracted the disease died within 24hours of showing symptoms. During the early 19th Century working class Families had no knowledge how the disease was contracted and was thought it was transmitted from poisons, foul smelling air. It was only in 1849 that it killed 70,000 people until Dr. John Snow then discovered that cholera bacteria was contracted from polluted
occurred if the plague did not exist. Such water born diseases as Cholera, and Typhoid
Salmonella is one of the most common causes of food poisoning. It is a gram-negative, aerobic (oxygen requiring), rod-shaped bacterium that can infect humans, birds, reptiles, and other animals. It results in the swelling of the lining of the stomach and intestines. Salmonella food poisoning occurs worldwide, however it is most frequently reported in North America and Europe. In the United States, Salmonella is responsible for about 15% of all cases of food poisoning (Salmonella food poisoning).
In the 1300’s, in order to transport goods, the people used ships to travel from country to country trading products. The plague originated in Central Asia in 1338/9 after that it spread to China and India in 1346(Black Plague: The Least You Need to Know). In 1347 the Black Death contaminated the Black Sea port of Kaffa.
Unlike the first cholera pandemic in 1817, the second one also affected countries in Europe and North America in addition to Asia. Of the seven total cholera pandemics, many consider this one the greatest of the 19th century. Cholera caused more deaths, more quickly than any other epidemic disease of the 1800s. It is an infectious disease that causes severe diarrhea that can lead to dehydration and death if untreated. Eating food or drinking water contaminated with a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae causes cholera. After the first pandemic had diminished throughout Asia by1824, the disease began spreading again from Bengal in 1826. It began with outbreaks in the Ganges River of Bengal and quickly spread throughout most of India. It had moved into Afghanistan and Persia by 1829 and surfaced in Russia in August of that year. From Russia, the disease travelled to Poland and eventually Hungary, Germany, Berlin, England, Scotland, and Wales. While the disease was penetrating most of Europe, it had also reached areas in Mesopotamia and the Arabian Peninsula by 1831. Thousands of Muslim pilgrims from Mecca died from the disease and carried it into Palestine, Syria, and Egypt that year. Mecca continued to be infected by cholera until about 1912. The disease also reached Portugal in 1833, from an English ship that docked in Portugal. Cholera’s path east of India remains
The bubonic plague, too, was a spontaneous epidemic. The Black Death occurred because a bacillus was carried by fleas that fed off the blood of humans and transmitted the deadly bacillus in the process (Packer). It began in China and spread by
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)
Harris, J., LaRocque, R., Ryan, E., Qadri, F., & Calderwood, S. (2012, June 30). Cholera. Pubmed. Retrieved December 13, 2013, from
Gastroenteritis, sometimes referred to as infectious diarrhoea is a common disease that affects millions of people annually. It is a disease caused by viruses, bacteria or parasites that enter the human body and spread, which induce symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and nausea. Although it is a common occurrence in society and is usually not harmful, cases of gastroenteritis in less developed countries may have more fatal repercussions due to their inability to access ample means of treatment. Over time, as more research was conducted into the disease, scientific developments were made to aid those affected by gastroenteritis and reduce the number of fatalities by educating people regarding preventative methods.
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...