What to do in suspected Cholera?

Cholera
Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by a germ, which enters the body
by drinking unclean and infected water. Water sources contaminated with faecal
matter often are causes for cholera outbreaks in a particular region, particularly
affecting children. It can occur at any time of the year, but is more common during
the monsoon season. It starts suddenly with:
--> Profuse (very large quantities) watery diarrhoea.
--> Vomiting.
--> Dehydration as the body loses a large amount of fluids quickly.
--> Muscle cramps.
--> Inadequate passing of urine.
If the person is not given adequate fluids immediately to replace the fluid loss,
there will be:
--> Sudden and rapid fall in blood pressure with the affected person having cold,
damp skin.
--> Breathing difficulty.
--> Loss of consciousness.
What to do in suspected Cholera?
Individual patients must be treated as for diarrhoea. However, it is important
to remember that patients with cholera can get dehydrated very quickly. If
dehydration is imminent, one must get medical help immediately.
It is also important to remember that cholera can easily be passed from the
patient to other people. It is therefore important:
--> To wash hands every time after touching the sick person, handling their dirty
clothes and before eating.
--> One must ensure that the patient takes medicines as advised by the health
worker. This will not only help the patient recover but also ensure that the
infection does not spread to other people.
--> Cholera will generally affect a large number of people at the same time
who use or consume water or food from the same source. It is important to
inform the health authorities about suspected cases of cholera to enable them
to identify the source of infection (e.g. contaminated water supply) and take
appropriate action so that the disease does not spread further.
--> One of the most important means by which cholera can be prevented is ensuring
supply of safe, clean water. Water supplied by municipal authorities is generally
safe. Water consumed from other sources e.g. wells, should be regularly
chlorinated. In most places, wells are chlorinated by the health or sanitation
authorities. However, it is equally important for the community to ensure that
wells are cleaned and chlorinated at regular intervals and that every effort must
be made to access clean, safe water and prevent wastage of water.
It is best and safest to boil the water before drinking when one is not sure of the
quality of water available for drinking.
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