Cholera - Vibrio cholerae infection. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. General Information. Minus Related Pages. Below you will find answers to commonly asked questions about cholera.
On This Page. What is cholera? Where is cholera found? How does a person get cholera? What are the symptoms of cholera? How long after infection do the symptoms appear? Who is most likely to get cholera? What should I do if I or someone I know gets sick? How is cholera diagnosed? What is the treatment for cholera?
Cholera is a bacterial infection of the small intestine that causes a large amount of watery diarrhea. Cholera is caused by the bacteria Vibrio cholerae. These bacteria release a toxin that causes an increased amount of water to be released from cells that line the intestines. This increase in water produces severe diarrhea.
People develop the infection from eating or drinking food or water that contains the cholera germ. Living in or traveling to areas where cholera is present raises the risk of getting it.
Cholera occurs in places with a lack of water treatment or sewage treatment, or crowding, war, and famine. Common locations for cholera include:. The goal of treatment is to replace fluid and salts that are lost through diarrhea. Diarrhea and fluid loss can be fast and extreme. It can be hard to replace lost fluids. Depending on your condition, you may be given fluids by mouth or through a vein intravenous , or IV. Signs and symptoms of cholera dehydration include irritability, fatigue, sunken eyes, a dry mouth, extreme thirst, dry and shriveled skin that's slow to bounce back when pinched into a fold, little or no urinating, low blood pressure, and an irregular heartbeat.
Dehydration can lead to a rapid loss of minerals in your blood that maintain the balance of fluids in your body. This is called an electrolyte imbalance. The risk of cholera is slight in industrialized nations. Even in areas where it exists you're not likely to become infected if you follow food safety recommendations. Still, cases of cholera occur throughout the world. If you develop severe diarrhea after visiting an area with active cholera, see your doctor.
If you have diarrhea, especially severe diarrhea, and think you might have been exposed to cholera, seek treatment right away. Severe dehydration is a medical emergency that requires immediate care. A bacterium called Vibrio cholerae causes cholera infection. The deadly effects of the disease are the result of a toxin the bacteria produces in the small intestine.
The toxin causes the body to secrete enormous amounts of water, leading to diarrhea and a rapid loss of fluids and salts electrolytes. Cholera bacteria might not cause illness in all people who are exposed to them, but they still pass the bacteria in their stool, which can contaminate food and water supplies. Contaminated water supplies are the main source of cholera infection.
The bacterium can be found in:. Everyone is susceptible to cholera, with the exception of infants who get immunity from nursing mothers who have previously had cholera. 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.
Persons who develop severe diarrhea and vomiting in countries where cholera occurs should seek medical attention promptly. The FDA recently approved a single-dose live oral cholera vaccine called Vaxchora lyophilized CVD HgR for adults 18 — 64 years old who are traveling to an area of active cholera transmission with toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 the bacteria strain that most commonly causes cholera. The vaccine is not routinely recommended for most travelers from the United States, as most people do not visit areas of active cholera transmission.
The single most important preventive measure is to avoid consuming uncooked foods or water in foreign countries where cholera occurs unless they are known to be safe or have been properly treated for example, sealed bottled, boiled, or chemically treated water.
In addition, it is important to wash your hands often with soap and clean water or an alcohol based hand cleanser, particularly before you eat or prepare foods and after using the bathroom. Navigation menu.
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