Cholera Disease: Diagnostics and Treatment

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Table of Contents

Abstract
Introduction
Causes of Cholera
Symptoms and Diagnostic Tests of Cholera
Effect of Cholera on the body
Treatment and Prevention
Statistics
Conclusion
References

Abstract

Cholera is one of several waterborne infections that individuals contract when they eat food or drink water that is contaminated with a bacterium that causes the disease. Cholera is a primordial disease today that kills mostly the most vulnerable and poorest people. A person can contract the disease through drinking or eating contaminated water or food. Some of the symptoms showing someone has cholera are dehydration, profuse diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Cholera affects mostly the heart and nerve function and can lead to kidney failure. Cholera can be treated through oral or intravenous hydration and, in severe cases, use along with antibiotics. Prevention of cholera entails maintaining good sanitation and hygiene among the population. Statistics show that cholera is more prevalent in developing nations than in developed countries.

Introduction

Cholera is an infectious bacterial disease of the small intestine and it is generally contracted from contaminated food or water supplies. Modern water and sewage treatment have almost eradicated cholera in developed nations; hence, cholera still occurs in Haiti, Southeast Asia, and Africa (1). Cholera is prevalent in areas with unclean water, poor sanitation, and insufficient hygiene. The risk of cholera escalates when people are compelled to live in overcrowded areas, for example, areas devastated by natural disasters or famine and refugee camps. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), close to 1.4 million cases and approximately 143,000 deaths happen annually (4). The paper explores cholera disease, discussing its causes, symptoms, diagnostic tests, effect on the body, treatment, prevention, and prevalence using figures or tables.

Causes of Cholera

Cholera is a diarrheal ailment caused by a small intestine infection with the bacterium Vibrio Cholerae. The illness infects both adults and children in society. Individuals may get sick when they drink water or eat food contaminated with cholera bacteria. Contaminated public surfaces or well water are often the large-scale sources of cholera outbreaks. Further, eating undercooked or raw, fruits, vegetables, grains, and seafood, especially shellfish, originating from some places may expose one to cholera bacteria (3, 124). If left unattended, cholera may be lethal within hours, even in earlier healthy individuals.

Symptoms and Diagnostic Tests of Cholera

Cholera infection is often without symptoms or mild, although at times, it can be chronic and life-threatening in during the early stages, which comprise profuse, watery diarrhea, thirst, vomiting, irritability, and leg cramps. People suffering from cholera may become severely dehydrated, which may contribute to kidney failure (7, 151). Diarrhea produced by patients with cholera has large amounts of the Vibro cholerae, germ infections, which may infect other people when swallowed. Therefore, the symptoms of cholera infection may comprise diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and dehydration. Dehydration is also referred to as electrolyte imbalance. Electrolyte imbalance may result in serious symptoms such as shock and muscle cramps (10). Cholera diagnosis may be done by isolating Vibro cholerae from stool cultures carried out on a particular selective media. However, in environments where stool culture cannot be readily available, rapid tests, for example, darkfield microscopy or stool dipsticks, provide an outcome in 15 minutes (7,157). Hence, for anyone who notices any of the mentioned symptoms, it is better to see a physician.

Effect of Cholera on the body

Cholera may quickly become critical because in most serious cases, the swift loss of a large number of electrolytes and fluids in the body may contribute to death in a few hours. In mild circumstances, individuals who do not get treatment may die of shock and dehydration within a few days after showing symptoms of cholera. Low potassium levels in the body as individuals with cholera lose large amounts of minerals comprising potassium in their stools (5, 18). Unfortunately, low levels of potassium in the body interfere with nerve and heart function and pose a threat to life. Low blood sugar is risky because it is the main energy source of the body and this happens when patients become too sick to eat. Children are at the highest risk of the problem, which may lead to unconsciousness, seizures, and even death. Cholera may contribute to kidney failure because when a person’s kidneys lose their filtering capacity (8, 25). Further, excess fluids, some wastes, and electrolytes accumulate in the body, posing a potentially life-threatening situation.

Treatment and Prevention

Treatment

Patients with cholera need to be examined and treated quickly. Cholera’s primary treatment approach is the use of intravenous or oral hydration. However, in the case of severely sick patients, hydration in conjunction with antibiotics treatment is recommended. Rehydration therapy is the main treatment for cholera patients because it is an immediate restoration of lost salts and fluids. Antibiotic treatment aims to minimize the duration of sickness and fluid requirements, as it is recommended for severe instances of cholera (3, 126). Further, Zinc treatment has been shown to assist in enhancing cholera symptoms in children. Hence, with appropriate treatment, even patients who are severely sick may be saved.

Prevention

There are five basic prevention steps for cholera; thus, to prevent the disease, people need to wash their hands often and take measures to ensure their water and food are safe for consumption. Fortunately, the following are simple steps or measures that reduce people’s risk of contracting cholera in places in which cholera is rapidly spreading. First, the public needs to ensure they use and drink clean or safe water. If not accessible, use water that has been properly chlorinated, boiled, or filtered by applying a filter, which may remove bacteria. Second, people have to wash their hands often with safe water and soap (5, 28). This should be done before, during, and after preparing food, after using the toilet, and before and after feeding one’s children or eating food.

Further, individuals need to wash their hands after caring for a cholera patient and cleaning one’s child’s bottom. However, if water and soap are unavailable, apply alcohol-based hand rub with a minimum of 60% alcohol (5, 30). They also have to safely manage sanitation facilities or use toilets to remove feces. One should wash hands using clean water and soap after visiting the bathroom. In addition, they have to cook food well, keep it covered, peel vegetables and fruits, and eat food when it is hot. Shun raw fruits and vegetables that may not be peeled. Lastly, there is a need to clean food preparation places and kitchenware with treated water and soap and allow them to dry before use. A person can be given a vaccine to prevent and control the infection (8, 37). Additionally, one can have a cholera vaccine if traveling to regions prone to the disease.

Statistics

Figure 1 below shows that the most affected nations are in Africa, Southeast Asia, Haiti, and the islands in Latin America. In Africa, the most affected areas are the Central African region, part of the West African region, and East Africa region, based on the figure. Approximately 30,629 global cases of cholera comprising 36 mortalities, were reported by February 2022 (9). Many countries in Asia and Africa have reported cholera pandemics in 2022 and 2021 with current outbreaks reported from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iraq, Nepal, Somalia, Syria, South Sudan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. There are close to 39857 suspected cases of cholera comprising 114 mortalities reported globally since it was last updated on August 2022 as shown in figure 2 (2). Therefore, it shows that cholera prevalence is high in less developed nations than in developed countries in Europe and the Latin American region.

Figure 1: Displays geographical distribution of new Cholera cases reported globally from Jan-March 2022

Figure 2: Show three-month cholera notification rate from July to September 2022

Conclusion

Cholera is an infectious disease caused by Vibro cholerae bacteria. A person can contract the disease through drinking or eating contaminated water or food. Some of the symptoms showing someone has cholera are dehydration, profuse diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Cholera affects mostly the heart and nerve function and can lead to kidney failure. Cholera can be treated through oral or intravenous hydration and in severe cases use along with antibiotics. Prevention of cholera entails maintaining good sanitation and hygiene among the population. Statistics show that the disease is more prevalent in developing nations than in developed countries.

References

CDC. (2022). Illness and symptoms. Web.

ECDC. (2022). Cholera worldwide overview. Web.

Imran Qadir, M., & Yasmeen, A. (2020). Cholera: A Waterborne disease characterized by diarrhea. Bacterial Diseases, 3(1), 123-128.

The IRC. (2017). What is cholera? Web.

Liu, F., & Kan, B. (2021). Cholera risk assessment, control, and prevention. Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases in BRI Countries, 1(4), 15-33.

Mayo Clinic. (2022). Cholera – Symptoms and causes. Web.

Mehlhorn, H. (2019). Cholera (Blue skin disease) and its history. Parasitology Research Monographs, 1(2), 143-159.

Nalin, D. (2022). Cholera control in 2021: Bioecology, immunology, current and future vaccines and treatment options (4th ed.). Mdpi AG.

Reda, A., Sah, R., Abdelaal, A., Shrestha, S., & Rodriguez-Morales, A. J. (2022). The emergence of cholera in multiple countries amidst current COVID-19 pandemic: Situation and implications for public health and travel medicine. Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, 49(1), 102423.

Shelton, T., Groves, E., & Adrian, S. (2019). A model of the transmission of cholera in a population with contaminated water. CODEE Journal, 12(1), 43-60.

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