Cholera; What Do You Know?

CHOLERA
Source;

This is a period that the disease is rampart, so I think I should educate us on this.

DESCRIPTION
cholera is a severe bacterial infection of the small intestine. This remains a serious killer disease in developing countries today most common inAfrica.

It is caused by contaminated drinking water,flies, and infected materials

The disease causes vomiting and severe watery stool which can lead to dehydration and weakness, and even death 😱

During epidemic, the death rate exceeds 50% with children and old people being most vulnerable.

The disease is most common in areas with poor sanitation, crowd, war and famine. Common areas includes parts of Africa, South Asia and Latin America.

Strict standards of hygiene, sanitation and nursing ensure that the infection does not spread and prevent an epidermic.

Early and prompt detection and treatment enables most patients to make a full recovery. Vigilance remains necessary because Cholera caused thousands of death in the last century during widespread epidermic in many countries.

PERSONS MOST COMMONLY AFFECTED

•Cholera affects all age groups and birth sexes.

ORGANS OF THE B3ODY INVOLVED

•Digestive system

SYMPTOMS AND INDICATIONS

There us considerably a vast variation in the severity of symptoms and in the manner in which they present themselves.

In mild cases, the patient may hardly feel ill, whereas in the severely affected,during epidemics, death may occur very rapidly within a few hours.

The major symptoms of cholera are
•VOMITING AND •STOOLING

In most cases, three stages of cholera are recognised.

During the first stage, there is a copious diarrhoea and vomiting with the production of characteristic rice-water stool containing flakes of fibrin (a protein substance formed in the blood during blood clothing). There are severe pains and cramps,extreme thirst and increasing signs of dehydration.

In the second stage,death occurs due to dehydration and collapse. The persons skin becomes cold and wrinkled. The eyes are sunken, the pulse becomes imperceptible and the voice is a hosts whisper (vox cholerica).

During the third stage, the patient starts to recover and gradually improves and the symptoms subsides. Relapse is still possible at this stage, partially in the form of fever.

TREATMENT

CHOLERA IS HIGHLY TREATABLE. It requires isolation of the patient and attention to hygiene during nursing, but because dehydration can happen quickly,it is important to get cholera treatment right away.

Treatment will consist of oral or intravenous solutions to replace lost fluids. This include a very careful disposal of the body waste of the infected person to prevent the spread of the disease.

Treatment of the patient involves bed rest and the taking of prescribed drugs (antibiotics) to kill cholera bacteria.

The patient also requires same solutions to counteract the dehydration that occurs.

PREVENTION

This is by means of vaccination, but this is only effective for about six months

Efforts should be made to eliminate flies from houses and to ensure that they do not come into contract with food.

RISKS

Risk remain wherever there is over crowding, poverty, and poor sanitation.

Now we can educate or loved ones to be careful of the water they drink, fruits and food they eat and to have a clean environment.