CHOLERA
Causes And Contraction Of Cholera
Cholera is the illness caused by a bacterium called Vibria cholerae.
The most common cause of cholera is by someone eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated with the bacteria.
After a disaster, this is a very real danger, since regular, clean water and food supplies are often unavailable. The disease can be spread even further by infected people using already dirty water sources to clean themselves or dispose of waste.
Symptoms
Symptoms include:
watery diarrhoea
vomiting
leg cramps
The infection is often mild or without symptoms.
Preventing Cholera
Prevention
The best form of cholera prevention is to establish good sanitation and waste treatment systems. In the absence of adequate sewage treatment, the following guidelines should be followed to reduce the possibility of infection:
Boil it. Drink and brush teeth only with water that has been boiled or treated with chlorine or iodine tablets.
Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera...
cholera prevention sign board
Cholera outbreaks in SpainSafe drinks include coffee and tea made with boiling water or carbonated bottled water and carbonated soft drinks.
Cook it. Eat only thoroughly cooked foods, and eat them while they are still hot. Avoid eating food from street vendors.
Peel it. Eat only fruit or nuts with a thick, intact skin or shell that is removed immediately before eating.
Forget it. Do not eat raw foods such as oysters or ceviche. Avoid salads and raw vegetables. Do not use untreated ice cubes in otherwise safe drinks.
Stay out of it. Do not swim or fish in polluted water
Treatment
Cholera can be simply and successfully treated by immediate replacement of the fluid and salts lost through diarrhea. Patients can be treated with oral rehydration solution, a prepackaged mixture of sugar and salts to be mixed with water and drunk in large amounts. This solution is used throughout the...