Herbal Remedies For Cholera
About Cholera
Cholera is a serious bacterial disease that usually occurs by eating food or drinking water contaminated with bacterium Vibrio cholera. Watery diarrhea, extreme loss of fluid and dehydration are the main Symptoms of this disease.
It is estimated that about 1.4 million to 4.3 million people are infected worldwide each year, with approximately 28,000-142,000 deaths per year. Only about one in 10 people infected with cholera develop the typical signs and symptoms. Outbreaks of cholera in 2015-2016 include South Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, and Kenya, with over 216 deaths and most recently, 121 people diagnosed with cholera in Iraq, their first outbreak since 2012 and in Cuba, the first outbreak in over 130 years.
Causes Of Cholera
Cholera is caused by bacteria called Vibrio cholerae,usually found in food or water contaminated by feces from a person with the infection. Other common causes include:
- Ice made from municipal water
- Municipal water supplies
- Vegetables grown with water containing human wastes
- Foods and drinks sold by street vendors
- Raw or undercooked fish and seafood caught in waters polluted with sewage
Symptoms Of Cholera
Only around 1 in 20 cholera infections are severe, and a high percentage of infected people show no symptoms. Symptoms of cholera can begin as soon as a few hours or as long as five days after infection. The diarrhea is the main symptoms of cholera.
People may go on to develop one or more of the following symptoms and signs:
- Watery diarrhea
- Fishy odor to stools
- Rice-water stools
- Felling Thirsty
- Vomiting
- Restlessness or irritability
- Low blood pressure
- Rapid heart rate
- Loss of skin elasticity
- Dry mucous membranes
- Muscle cramps
- Unusual sleepiness or tiredness
- Diagnosis Of Cholera
If you have symptoms of cholera, you should contact your doctor. A doctor can confirm that you have cholera by identifying bacteria in a stool sample.
Common methods for treating cholera include:
- Oral rehydration salts
- Intravenous fluid rehydration
- Antibiotics
- Zinc supplementsThese treatments add to the liquid in the body and rehydrate it. They also help reduce the length of time you have diarrhea.
Precautions For Cholera
There is a vaccine for cholera. When traveling in areas where the disease is endemic, it is important to:
- Eat only fruit you have peeled.
- Wash your hands
- Avoid salads, raw fish, and uncooked vegetables
- Drink only bottled or boiled water
- Avoid dairy foods
- Eat raw fruits and vegetables that you can peel yourself
- Avoid street food, as this can carry cholera and other diseases.
