CHOLERA

Symptoms of cholera can begin as soon as a few hours or as long as five days after infection. Often, symptoms are mild. But sometimes they are very serious.

What are the symptoms of cholera infection?

• severe watery diarrhea
• vomiting
• leg cramps

Because of diarrhea and vomiting, fluid from the body is loss, and dehydration is a consequence.

Signs and symptoms of dehydration include:

• Rapid heart rate
• Loss of skin elasticity (the ability to return to original position quickly if pinched)
• Dry mucous membranes, including the inside of the mouth, throat, nose, and eyelids
• Low blood pressure
• Thirst
• Muscle cramps

If not treated, dehydration can lead to shock and death in a matter of hours.

DIAGNOSIS

The doctor will ask the patient for the presence of any symptoms described above (see Types & Symptoms section).  To test for cholera, stool sample is sent to the laboratory to look for the cholera bacteria.

RECOMMENDED MEDICATIONS

Although there is a vaccine against cholera, the CDC and World Health Organization don’t normally recommend it, because it may not protect up to half of the people who receive it and it lasts only a few months. However, you can protect yourself and your family by using only water that has been boiled, water that has been chemically disinfected, or bottled water.

Cholera can be treated by immediate replacement of the fluid and salts lost in diarrhea and vomiting.  Patients can be treated with oral rehydration solution, a prepackaged mixture of sugar and salts to be mixed with water and taken in large amounts.  This solution is used throughout the world to treat diarrhea.  Severe cases also require intravenous fluid replacement.

Antibiotics shorten the course and diminish the severity of the illness, but they are not as important as receiving rehydration.