How Cholera Is Treated 1 Rehydration Therapy. Because the greatest concern for cholera is the risk of dehydration,... 2 Antibiotics. Most people with cholera (an estimated 80 percent) can recover using rehydration therapy alone. 3 Zinc. Research has shown that zInc supplements given to kids with cholera can shorten the amount...
Cholera infection is often mild or without symptoms, but can sometimes be severe. Approximately one in ten (10%) infected persons will have severe disease characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these people, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and shock. Without treatment, death can occur within hours.
During the 19th century, cholera spread across the world from its original reservoir in the Ganges delta in India. Six subsequent pandemics killed millions of people across all continents. The current (seventh) pandemic started in South Asia in 1961, and reached Africa in 1971 and the Americas in 1991.
Cholera is an extremely virulent disease that can cause severe acute watery diarrhoea. It takes between 12 hours and 5 days for a person to show symptoms after ingesting contaminated food or water (2).
Oral or intravenous hydration is the primary treatment for cholera. In conjunction with hydration, treatment with antibiotics is recommended for severely ill patients. It is also recommended for patients who have severe or some dehydration and continue to pass a large volume of stool during rehydration treatment.
If left untreated, cholera has a 25-50% mortality rate. Treatment reduces this to less than 1%. Bacteriological diagnosis of cholera is reasonably easy because cholera bacteria are abundant in stool. Epidemics, however, often occur in areas with either limited or no laboratory facilities.
Derived from the Venetian dialect of the Italian words “quaranta giorni,” the term quarantine means “forty days” [4]. This practice originated in 1374, when all ships were required to lay anchor for 40 days prior to reception of the crew on land [5].
It usually takes 2-3 days for symptoms to appear after a person ingests cholera bacteria, but the time can range from a few hours to 5 days.
Cholera causes severe diarrhea and dehydration. Left untreated, cholera can be fatal within hours, even in previously healthy people. Modern sewage and water treatment have virtually eliminated cholera in industrialized countries.
Cholera has been nicknamed the "blue death" because a person's skin may turn bluish-gray from extreme loss of fluids [4].
People can be reinfected with cholera if they are exposed to the bacteria again.
History. During the 19th century, cholera spread across the world from its original reservoir in the Ganges delta in India. Six subsequent pandemics killed millions of people across all continents. The current (seventh) pandemic started in South Asia in 1961, reached Africa in 1971 and the Americas in 1991.
Cholera is highly contagious. Cholera can be transferred person to person by infected fecal matter entering a mouth or by water or food contaminated with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. The organisms can survive well in salty waters and can contaminate humans and other organisms that contact or swim in the water.
Treatment of the first stage (Premonitory) of cholera consisted of confining the victim to bed and the taking of some warmed mild aromatic drink such as spearmint, chamomile, or warm camphor julep. Once the individual had commenced to perspire, calomel, camphor, magnesia, and pure castor oil was administered.
The FDA recently approved a single-dose live oral cholera vaccine called Vaxchora® (lyophilized CVD 103-HgR) in the United States. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to approve the vaccine for adults 18 – 64 years old who are traveling to an area of active cholera transmission.
People with severe cholera can develop severe dehydration, which can lead to kidney failure. If left untreated, severe dehydration can lead to shock, coma, and death within hours.
Treatment of the first stage (Premonitory) of cholera consisted of confining the victim to bed and the taking of some warmed mild aromatic drink such as spearmint, chamomile, or warm camphor julep. Once the individual had commenced to perspire, calomel, camphor, magnesia, and pure castor oil was administered.
It reached Latin America, including Mexico and Cuba, in 1833. The pandemic would die out and reemerge throughout numerous countries for nearly two decades until it subsided around 1851.
Is cholera still around? Sadly, yes. Each year, 1.3 million to 4 million people around the world suffer from cholera and 21,000 to 143,000 people die of the disease, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Sixth, 1899–1923 Cholera broke out 27 times during the hajj at Mecca from the 19th century to 1930. The sixth pandemic killed more than 800,000 in India. The last outbreak of cholera in the United States was in 1910–1911, when the steamship Moltke brought infected people from Naples to New York City.