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Cholera is an infectious disease caused by the comma cholera. Cholera is caused by a lack of access to clean drinking water, so the greatest risk of cholera is in Africa, as well as South Asia and Latin America. If left untreated, it can even lead to death. What are the symptoms of cholera? What is the treatment? Is there a vaccine against this disease?

Damn( Cholerae ) is an infectious disease caused by gram-negative bacteria - cholera comma ( Vibrio cholerae ) secreting enterotoxin.

Mortality among cholera patients treated properly ranges from 1 to 20% of the infected. Half of people suffering from cholera die without treatment.

The greatest risk of cholera is in Africa, South Asia and Latin America - remember that there are approximately 1.5 billion people in areas where cholera occurs. The worst situation is in Yemen - the country is facing the most serious cholera epidemic in the world, the World He alth Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on Monday. It is estimated that 5,000 people become infected every day. So far (data from July 2022) 1,300 people have died of cholera, and every fourth fatal victim is a child, inform WHO and UNICEF. Both organizations predict that the death toll will increase.

Damn - paths of infection

A sick person or a carrier (ie an infected person who does not show symptoms of the disease) excretes cholera comma with faeces - which ends up in sewage or places where human faeces are removed. Water used for drinking, washing and household purposes, e.g. in rivers, can become contaminated from the wastewater. wells, coastal waters of lakes, seas, etc. - cholera commas can persist in water for a long time - even for weeks.

The infection occurs through the digestive tract - mainly through water contaminated with human faeces. Infection can also occur through food - mainly seafood, as well as fruit and vegetables. Less commonly, contamination occurs through contact with a sick person and their surroundings, when commas are transmitted through contaminated hands. The brooding period for cholera lasts up to 5 days.

Malnourished children under five are particularly vulnerable to infection.

Damn - symptoms of cholera

Typical cholera is characterized by a sudden and violent course without a fever. In the course of the disease, the following appear:

  • watery diarrhea with a characteristic whitish color (resembles cooking water) and a sweet smell
  • vomiting without nausea, leading to rapid dehydration and cachexia

Shit in just a few hours can kill you from dehydration.

If left untreated, changes caused by enterotoxins cause water to leak out of the intestinal epithelial cells, resulting in:

  • wrinkling of the skin (like the skin of the hands after washing dishes),
  • voice change ( vox cholerica ),
  • sunken eyes and sharpening of facial features ( facies cholerica , also called the face of Hippocrates).

Symptomatic infections may also occur. In extremely serious cases, it may lead to coma. Lack of medical attention is often fatal (around 50 percent of cases).

In the so-called In the dry form, as a result of paralysis of the toxic activity of the intestines, fluid accumulates in the intestinal lumen, there is no diarrhea, and the patient dies shortly after falling ill.

Damn: diagnostics

The basis for diagnosis is finding cholera commas in the stool (light microscopy examination) as well as the breeding method.

Damn: treatment

Cholera belongs to quarantine diseases - patients are isolated and people who have contact with patients are quarantined for several days.

Symptomatic treatment of cholera is applied, consisting in equalizing disturbances in the water and electrolyte balance, primarily dehydration. The therapy also uses antibiotics, mainly tetracyclines.

Interestingly, the bacteria that causes cholera is very sensitive to the acid that is normally found in the stomach. It usually kills small amounts of bacteria before they can establish themselves. Only in the case of the ingress of large amounts or the weakening of the immune system, the risk of disease symptoms is significant.

Cholera vaccine

There ischolera vaccine on the market -oral inactivated vaccine. Vaccination consists of two doses in the basic schedule for adults and children over 6 years of age at intervals of 1-6 weeks (for children aged 2-6 years, three doses of the vaccine are given at intervals of 1-6 weeks each). Immunity lasts for 2 years in adults and in children over 6 years of age (children aged 2-6: 6 months), after which one booster dose should be given. All dosesvaccinations should be taken at least 1 week before the planned trip.

Cholera prevention methods mainly consist of protecting water supplies and cleaning, boiling drinking water, washing hands and fruit, and cooking seafood.

Detailed pharmacokinetic studies have shown that specific cholera vaccine-induced antibodies also cross-neutralize enterotoxic strains of Escherichia coli (ETEC), the most common pathogen of travelers' diarrhea.

The vaccine may be ineffective against some newer cholera strains, such as the Bengal strain, a strain isolated in South Asia. Since in other cases the effect of the vaccine is limited (it protects about half of the cases), vaccination should only be considered by some travelers going to highly endemic areas, i.e. areas where cholera is extremely common. A review of major studies has shown that the overall vaccine is only 52% effective in the first year, and only 38% in children under five years of age.

Worth knowing

Damn - prevention

To prevent cholera infection:

  • drink only freshly boiled water, or factory-bottled or canned carbonated drinks
  • eat only freshly cooked meals, preferably still hot, and only cooked vegetables
  • eat fruit washed with boiled water and then peeled
  • Do not eat raw leafy vegetables (lettuce) and raw berries that are difficult to wash and cannot be peeled outside of your home. Avoid buying food and drink from local retailers
  • do not eat dairy, fish or meat dishes kept in the refrigerator - low temperature does not destroy commas
  • in one word - we follow the principle: steam it, boil it, peel it or forget it.

Remember to wash your hands with clean water and soap after leaving the toilet, before each meal, and also before preparing your meals.

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Category:

Infectious diseases