How to Recognize Cholera Symptoms

Cholera is a deadly infection of the intestine, most often caused by consumption of contaminated food or water. Often mild or without symptoms, the infection can sometimes be severe. Without treatment, death can occur within hours.
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Steps
1
Know who is at risk of contracting cholera:
*.People living in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water.
*.Travelers to areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water.
*.Persons who eat raw or undercooked shellfish that has come from salty rivers and coastal waters.
*.Anyone who consumes food or water contaminated with the bacteriumVibrio cholerae.
2
Understand that the symptoms of cholera are directly related to the number of bacteriaingested by the victim.Some people may have no symptoms of the illness, while others may have mild to severe symptoms. Approximately 1 in 20 infected persons has a severe form of the disease.
3
Recognize the symptoms of the disease, look for:
*.Watery diarrhea, most often brown in color.
*. Vomiting.
*.Cramping in the legs.
*.In the most severe cases the diarrhea becomes profuse, is usually pale in color (sometimes calledrice-water stools), and can lead to death if not treated immediately.
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Tips
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Travelers who develop severe diarrhea and/or vomiting in countries where cholera occurs should seek medical help immediately.
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Those suffering a severe case of the illness may require intravenous fluid replacement.
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Cholera can be successfully treated by replacement of the fluid and salts lost through diarrhea. A pre-packaged mix of sugar and salts added to water and consumed in large amounts is one treatment used throughout the world.
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With prompt rehydration, fewer than 1% of cholera patients die.
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oral rehydration salt could be use to replace the ongoing fluid loss due to diarrhea.