Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection that occurs when food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera O1 or O139 is consumed. Cholera is transmitted by the fecal-oral route from person to person, most commonly by drinking contaminated water, vegetables, fruit, bathing, as well as through food and household contacts. Without proper treatment, it can lead to death.

The incubation period lasts from several hours to 5 days. The disease usually begins acutely and leads to severe dehydration.

The source of the infectious agent is a person - a patient or a carrier of vibrios.

The cholera vibrio can remain viable in water for a long time, in food at room temperature for 2-5 days, on the surface of fruits and vegetables under sunlight for 8 hours, at low temperatures, and in seawater for 2 weeks or more, and in the intestines of certain river and sea animals for several months. When boiled, the cholera vibrio dies within a minute, is not resistant to drying, or direct sunlight, and is extremely sensitive to the effects of common disinfectants.

Symptoms of cholera

The first symptoms of cholera are diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

The characteristic symptoms of cholera are

frequent diarrhea, up to 10 or more times a day. At the same time, a person loses a lot of fluid - up to 20 liters per day. As a result of fluid loss, the blood thickens and the body dehydrates;
due to the loss of trace elements with the fluid, muscle cramps appear, most often starting with the calf muscles;
sharpening of facial features, eyes droop, lips, and ears turn blue;
cold skin (cholera is one of the few infections accompanied by normal or even low body temperature);
the skin loses its elasticity, easily gathers in folds, and takes a very long time to straighten, and the skin of the feet and hands becomes wrinkled (the so-called "laundress's hands");
shortness of breath, severe weakness.
With early diagnosis and proper treatment, cholera is curable. At the first symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor!

Prevention of cholera

To avoid the disease, follow simple rules:

Do not buy food, in particular fish, from spontaneous trade;
Do not swim or fish in contaminated water bodies;
maintain personal hygiene, wash your hands thoroughly before taking or preparing food, after going to the toilet;
use clean water;
wash fruit and vegetables before eating;
cook food thoroughly, and boil or fry food before eating.
Boiling kills cholera vibrios in 1 minute.

With timely treatment, a mild form of cholera ends in a full recovery. In the absence of effective treatment within 2-3 days, the patient may develop a coma, and death is possible.

Source - website of the Central Public Health Centre of the Ministry of Health