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CholeraCholera is a water-borne disease caused by the bacerium Vibrio cholerae which is typically ingested by drinking contaminated water or by eating improperly cooked fish, especially shellfish. Approximately one in 20 infected persons has severe disease characterized by profuse watery diarrhea vomiting, and leg cramps. Although only a few cases are recognized in the United States each year epidemic levels of cholera have recently been reported in parts of Central and South America. If untreated, the fatality rate in severe cases can be as high as 50 per cent due to dehydration and kidney failure. Infection without symptoms or with only mild diarrhoea, is common particularly in children. The risk of epidemics is highest when poverty war or natural disasters force people to live in crowded conditions without adequate sanitation. The great irony is that unlike many infectious diseases cholera is easily treated. Death results from severe dehydration, which can be prevented with a simple and inexpensive rehydration solution. Cholera is a bacterial disease that affects the intestinal tract. Although cholera is a very rare disease today, six worldwide outbreaks were documented between 1817 and 1911 that resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. Cholera is an acute, diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The bacterium is part of the flora of brackish water and estuaries it is when this water gets into the drinking supply that an outbreak can start. The major symptom of cholera is massive watery diarrhea that occurs because of a toxin secreted by the bacteria that stimulates the cells of the small intestine to secrete fluid. Europe witnessed several epidemics in the 19th century, but since then the disease is mostly seen in developing countries , due to poor water infrastructure . It causes severe diarrhoea and vomiting, and patients, particularly children and the elderly, are vulnerable to dangerous dehydration as a result. Cholera is not a difficult disease to treat and most people recover well with appropriate oral fluid replacement (hydration). However, if the disease goes untreated, it can rapidly lead to shock, as a result of fluid and electrolyte loss, and to life-threatening complications. Causes of CholeraThe common Causes of Cholera :
Symptoms of CholeraSome Symptoms of Cholera :
Treatment of Cholera
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