Cholera Essay

Many people think that the increased travel and trade between the world’s nations improved people’s lives. Although this increase had a positive effect, travel and trade also brought disasters. Foreign travelers and traders contributed to the wide spread of infectious diseases like cholera. A look at the general information, sources of infection and risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention and control will give a further insight on cholera.

To start with, the scientific name of cholera is Vibrio cholera. Cholera is caused by a comma-shaped bacterium called Vibrio cholera which is a member of the domain Bacteria and kingdom Eubacteria. Organsims in the kingdom Eubactera are unicellular and prokaryotic meaning they do not have a nucleus. Also, their thick cell walls contain a carbohydrate called peptidoglycan.

Cholera is transmitted from person to person through contaminated feces. By drinking water and eating food contaminated with the cholera, a person can easily get cholera. In an epidemic, this contamination is caused by the feces of an infected person that contaminates water or food, but cholera is not spread directly from person to person. Thus, a physical contact with an infected person is not a risk for getting cholera.

Infants, young children, elderly people, and people with underlying health conditions are most likely to get cholera because of their high risk of dehydration. On top of that, in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water like Haiti, Southeast Asia, and Africa, cholera spreads very quickly. Cholera is a global disease that spreads to different countries by international travel or imported goods such as contaminated seafood. On a yearly basis, there are about 100,000...

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... treatment. Rehydration therapy is the vital element of treatment for cholera. First of all, oral rehydration salts and intravenous fluids and electrolytes can lower fatalities to well under one percent. Next, antibiotic treatment, a mainstay of cholera treatment, decreases the duration of diarrhea and the stool volume which result in faster recovery. Furthermore, a scientific study in Bangladesh shows that severity and duration of diarrhea and be reduced with zinc treatment.

There are several steps that a person can take to prevent cholera beforehand. Drinking and using safe water is a vital step in preventing cholera. To make sure the water is safe, one can boil it or treat it with a chlorine product. Using sanitation systems and not defecating in any body of water stops cholera from spreading. Cooking food such as seafood well is another way to avoid cholera.