A person can get cholera by drinking water or eating food contaminated with cholera bacteria. In an epidemic, the source of the contamination is usually the feces of an infected person that contaminates water or food. The disease can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water. The infection is not likely to spread directly from one person to another; therefore, casual contact with an infected person is not a risk factor for becoming ill.
Cholera infection is often mild or without symptoms, but can be severe. It usually takes days for symptoms to appear after a person ingests cholera bacteria, but the time can range from a few hours to 5 days.
Persons living in places with unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation, and inadequate hygiene are at the highest risk for cholera. If you think you or a member of your family might have cholera, seek medical attention immediately. Dehydration can be rapid so fluid replacement is essential. If you have oral rehydration solution ORS , start taking it immediately; it can save a life.
Continue to drink ORS at home and while traveling to get medical treatment. If an infant has watery diarrhea, continue breastfeeding. To test for cholera, doctors must take a stool sample or a rectal swab and send it to a laboratory to look for the cholera bacteria. 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 ORS , a prepackaged mixture of sugar and salts that is mixed with 1 liter of water and drunk in large amounts.
This solution is used throughout the world to treat diarrhea. People who don't get the proper medical treatment may even die. People get it from drinking water or eating food that's contaminated with a type of bacteria called Vibrio cholerae.
It's rare in the United States, but people can still get it. People who travel from countries where the infection is more common can bring cholera into the U.
Some people in the U. People get cholera from eating or drinking food or water that's been contaminated with the feces poop of someone who has cholera. This is one reason why cholera is rare in countries with good sanitation systems. Things like flush toilets, sewer systems, and water treatment facilities keep poop out of the water and food supply. But for people living in places without good sanitation, cholera is more of a risk.
Cholera epidemics can also sometimes happen after a disaster like an earthquake or flood if people are living in tent cities or other places without running water or proper sanitation systems. Cholera is not contagious , so you can't catch it from direct contact with another person. If you develop symptoms of cholera, especially after visiting an area where the disease is common, call your doctor or get medical help right away.
Severe dehydration can happen very quickly, so it's essential to start replacing lost fluids right away. If you have a severe case of diarrhea or vomiting, call a doctor immediately, even if you're pretty sure it's not cholera. Dehydration is a serious medical condition regardless of the cause, and it needs to be treated quickly before it can do damage to internal organs.
To confirm a diagnosis of cholera, doctors may take a stool sample or vomit sample to examine for signs of the bacteria. Others develop more-serious signs and symptoms of cholera, usually within a few days of infection. Dehydration can develop within hours after cholera symptoms start and range from mild to severe. Signs and symptoms of cholera dehydration include irritability, fatigue, sunken eyes, a dry mouth, extreme thirst, dry and shriveled skin that's slow to bounce back when pinched into a fold, little or no urinating, low blood pressure, and an irregular heartbeat.
Dehydration can lead to a rapid loss of minerals in your blood that maintain the balance of fluids in your body. This is called an electrolyte imbalance. The risk of cholera is slight in industrialized nations.
Even in areas where it exists you're not likely to become infected if you follow food safety recommendations. Still, cases of cholera occur throughout the world. If you develop severe diarrhea after visiting an area with active cholera, see your doctor. If you have diarrhea, especially severe diarrhea, and think you might have been exposed to cholera, seek treatment right away. Severe dehydration is a medical emergency that requires immediate care.
A bacterium called Vibrio cholerae causes cholera infection. The deadly effects of the disease are the result of a toxin the bacteria produces in the small intestine. The toxin causes the body to secrete enormous amounts of water, leading to diarrhea and a rapid loss of fluids and salts electrolytes.
Cholera bacteria might not cause illness in all people who are exposed to them, but they still pass the bacteria in their stool, which can contaminate food and water supplies. Contaminated water supplies are the main source of cholera infection.
Persons who develop severe diarrhea and vomiting in countries where cholera occurs should seek medical attention promptly.
The FDA recently approved a single-dose live oral cholera vaccine called Vaxchora lyophilized CVD HgR for adults 18 — 64 years old who are traveling to an area of active cholera transmission with toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 the bacteria strain that most commonly causes cholera.
The vaccine is not routinely recommended for most travelers from the United States, as most people do not visit areas of active cholera transmission. The single most important preventive measure is to avoid consuming uncooked foods or water in foreign countries where cholera occurs unless they are known to be safe or have been properly treated for example, sealed bottled, boiled, or chemically treated water. In addition, it is important to wash your hands often with soap and clean water or an alcohol based hand cleanser, particularly before you eat or prepare foods and after using the bathroom.
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