Cholera

Short characteristic of a disease

Cholera belongs to the category of acute intestinal diseases. Cholera begins to develop at hit in an organism of the water or food infected with bacteria from the Vibrio cholerae family. The disease has a short incubation interval (it is quite often shown already within a day after infection), is followed by unpleasant symptoms, in the absence of treatment can lead to a lethal outcome. So serious consequences are connected with the fact that the causative agent of cholera produces enterotoxin which causes numerous disturbances in work of digestive tract and leads to severe dehydration of an organism because of ongoing diarrhea. Quite often cholera provokes severe vomiting during which the water salt metabolism is also broken.

Cholera is among quarantine infections. At boiling causative agents of cholera perish literally within several seconds, but in conditions, favorable for themselves they breed extremely in high gear. Get to external environment of a bacterium of cholera with excrements and emetic mass of the sick person, and then strike healthy people in the water, food, contact and household or mixed way. The high susceptibility to cholera became the reason of large-scale epidemics more than once. It is possible to bring into qualities of an example 1992 when insufficient and inefficient prevention of cholera led to emergence more than 100 000 sick people in the Southern India and Bengal. In general, for years of existence a civilization this infection claimed millions of the lives and continues to collect regularly the terrible harvest in the countries of Africa and Southeast Asia. The difficult epidemic situation in these regions is not accidental. The matter is that cholera which symptoms are usually shown after the use of the infected water or food develops most intensively in those places where there are problems with disinfecting of fresh water and timely medical care.

How cholera gets into a human body?

At cholera epidemics excrement of the infected people become a source of bacteria. Most often cholera embryos are found in coastal waters and salty water from where they get into city sewerages and other sources of water supply. Let's notice also that the accidental contact with the sick person cholera will not lead to infection as the disease is not transmitted directly. At the same time, the causative agent of cholera can get easily into an organism in the course of sharing of personal care products therefore observance of elementary precautionary measures nevertheless is necessary.

Cholera symptoms

At once we will note that Symptoms of cholera are very diverse. In certain cases at the diagnosis cholera treatment at all is not required (situations with a so-called asymptomatic carriage belong here) while at other people cholera leads to emergence of the most serious conditions and a lethal outcome.

The incubation interval seldom proceeds more than 5-6 days. The onset of the illness is always acute, at the same time cholera symptoms are expressed:

• the diarrhea which amplifies in night and morning hours – a chair at the same time watery has no unpleasant smell, over time takes a form of "rice broth";
• the plentiful gushing forth vomiting;
• disturbance of activity of the main systems of an organism which intensity depends on dehydration degree;
• lack of appetite;
• decrease in body weight;
• constant thirst.

If there are suspicions that at the person cholera develops, diagnosis, among other, is carried out on the basis of a clinical picture of development of a disease. Specialists allocate 4 degrees of cholera:

• The I degree – dehydration is expressed poorly;
• The II degree – at patients is noted falling of liquid to 6% of body weight, acceleration of SOE, reduction of number of erythrocytes. Patients complain of dizziness, dryness in a mouth, thirst, sharp weakness. Besides, at them fingers of hands become blue, convulsive twitchings of muscles, a voice osiplost appear;
• The III degree – at heavy cholera, treatment assumes constants control of arterial pressure and body temperature as the sudden collapse of the vital systems is quite possible. Loss of liquid reaches 9% of body weight, at patients release of urine can stop completely. In blood of sick people decrease in potassium concentration and chlorine is noted;
• The IV degree - critical loss of liquid, development of a condition of prostration, shock. At patients features are pointed, dark circles around eyes appear, skin gets a cyanotic shade and becomes sticky to the touch. Cardiac sounds are muffled, sharp falling of arterial pressure, decrease in body temperature to 34 degrees is noted. Such cholera which symptoms demonstrate numerous failures in work of the main systems quite often comes to an end with the death of the patient.

If in time not to see a doctor, then even slight cholera can lead to numerous complications: to abscesses, pneumonia, phlegmons, erysipelatous inflammations and phlebitis. For this reason you have to monitor attentively emergence of alarming symptoms of cholera after the use of food or water and to address immediately to medical institutions for statement of the exact diagnosis.

Diagnosis of cholera

At diagnosis of cholera recognition of an infection is made on the basis of a characteristic epidanamnez and a clinical picture. For confirmation of cholera bacteriological researches of excrements, gastric contents and emetic masses are used. Besides, to patients appoint laboratory physical and chemical blood tests.

Treatment of cholera

At suspicions on existence of an infection patients are subject to hospitalization. At strong indications of dehydration rehydration therapy is carried out immediately in those volumes which are defined by a condition of the patient. Peroral administration of liquid means usually recovery actions. Also she can be brought in a stomach through a stylet if the person is not able to drink independently. Within an hour sick cholera has to use not less than 1-1,5 l. liquids. If the disease is followed by severe vomiting, then treatment of cholera assumes obligatory administration of half-ionic solutions in blood.

After normalization of a condition of the patient correction of losses continues. Water-salt therapy is finished only after excrements accept normal fecal character, and the amount of urine will exceed the volume of fecal masses. After the termination of vomiting at treatment of cholera tetracycline or levomycetinum intravenously is appointed. The course of treatment of cholera lasts for 5 days with 6-hour cycles. At the timely address to the doctor and the adequate help cholera is treated successfully without any serious complications.

Prevention of cholera consists in observance of sanitary and hygienic rules, careful washing of products, respect for the established technological norms at catering establishments. Also we strongly recommend you to refuse at prevention of cholera the use of unboiled water from under the crane.