The twenty-first century is the time of new technologies anddiscoveries, including in the field of medicine. If earlier epidemics of diseases that were devoured by whole families and areas, instilled fear and horror on people, then today, medical scientists have found ways to combat many, previously incurable, ailments. For example, the cholera epidemic in Russia in the nineteenth century took more than two million lives. However, today the death rate from this disease is only 5-10%.
An epidemic is the mass spread of a disease or infection. In the history of mankind, you can count a couple of dozen of the most terrible and dangerous epidemics.
The main cause of the global spread of infections is the lack of sanitary norms, non-observance of personal hygiene, development of new territories.
Cholera is an intestinal infection thataccompanied by a sharp loss of fluid, dehydration of the body. Caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholera. The method of transmission of the disease - household - through water, contaminated food. There are several strains of cholera, each of which is serious in its own way. For example, Nepalese cholera, which does not cause any particular harm to local residents, has become a deadly virus for the population of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The largest pockets of the epidemic are recorded in Africa,Latin America, India. And although modern methods of treatment can cope with this ailment, the mortality rate is still 5-10%. In Russia, the epidemic of cholera in 1830 was the first large-scale manifestation of this type of infection. In combination with plague, it has taken the lives of millions of people.
You can protect yourself and your loved ones from cholera by observingrules of personal hygiene. Especially attentive to one's health should be those people who often travel around the country and beyond. Always need to avoid dubious eateries and cafeterias. And food is not bought in natural markets, but in specialized places. When visiting foreign countries, it is better to vaccinate.
Cholera is an infectious disease that affects the intestines and kidneys. The disease can occur in the human body in three forms, depending on the degree of dehydration.
The cholera is hardest for children. All because their body has not yet learned to cope with the unusual loss of fluid.
The best prevention of cholera is personal hygiene. At the slightest symptoms that indicate this ailment, you should immediately contact the hospital for qualified help.
Often this ailment is confused with other similardiseases, for example, with food poisoning, which has a similar symptomatology. A poisoning, as a rule, most people treat themselves. As a result, treatment is not done with those drugs, and the disease itself can become more severe during this time.
Therefore, every person should know what cholera is, what its symptoms are and how to fight it. So, the main signs of the disease:
If someone from loved ones is observed allsymptoms of cholera, you should immediately consult a doctor. The patient is immediately hospitalized. However, there are situations when it is not possible to get medical help so quickly (stay outside of populated areas). In this case, everyone should know how to provide first aid.
The main rule is more fluid.How much the body loses, how much should you try to "pour in". Drink recommended every half hour to 200 ml. But it should be not just water, but a special solution (per liter of water - a teaspoon of salt and four teaspoons of sugar).
Particular attention should be given to stool, theirdisinfection. Ducks, personal hygiene products should be carefully processed to avoid the spread of infection. Bedding needs to be changed frequently. Wash clothes at a temperature of 90 degrees. After washing, it is desirable to iron them.
Such precautions are mandatory, because getting infected in everyday life will not be very difficult.
One of the terrible and incurable diseases of the pastcenturies is cholera. Photos of bacteria made under a microscope make it clear that the pathogen looks like a curved rod with one or two bundles located polarly, which help it move.
Microbes that cause cholera, - lovers of alkalineenvironment. They are able to decompose starch and carbohydrates, as well as dilute gelatin. The causative agent of the infection is sensitive to drying and exposure to ultraviolet rays. When boiling, microorganisms die instantly.
Since cholera is caused by a bacterium that can be contained in food and water, the best prevention is the proper processing of food.
If the infection enters the sources of drinking water,it can hit entire settlements. It's an epidemic. And when the disease is already outside the boundaries of one territory or the whole country, then a pandemic already has a place. Cholera is both a disease, an epidemic, and a pandemic.
Of course, the diagnosis of "cholera" yourselfcan not be put. Some symptoms of the disease are not enough. We need medical examinations, which are carried out in special bacteriological laboratories. For research, patient isolation is necessary - vomit, cal.
If you go into history, the cholera epidemic1830 in Russia took more than one life. Everything can be explained by the insufficiently strong medicine of that time. Today, the disease is treatable. To do this, it is enough to make timely diagnosis and therapy.
It must be remembered that cholera is an epidemic.It can hit several family members at once. Any suspicious symptoms should be the reason for going to the hospital. The incubation period of cholera is from several hours to five days. At this time, patients already carry the infection and excrete the pathogen into the external environment.
Treatment of ailment is carried out only in hospitals, inspecial infectious diseases. The main task of doctors is to replenish and maintain the water balance in the patient's body. To do this, use salt solutions and medicines.
The most common bacterium pathogensCholera is a classic biotype and cholera El Tor. Both types are sensitive to antibiotics. Therefore, treatment also includes the use of antibacterial drugs. Usually use erythromycin.
The best protection against cholera in our time is vaccination. The vaccine is administered twice a month. Doses depend on the patient's age.
Cholera, like any disease, it is better to warn,rather than treat. To do this, it is enough to follow the rules of personal hygiene, as well as all the precautions that are used to prevent acute intestinal infections.
So:
It must also be remembered that even after complete recovery, cholera bacteria can infect the body a second time. Therefore, extra vigilance and caution will not prevent!
Disease in children develops exactly as in adults. However, children are more likely to bear the infection.
Most often, infection occurs through water or food. But in the case of children, infection through close contact through dirty hands is not excluded.
Bacteria of cholera, getting into the body of a child,cause severe intoxication and diarrhea. The development of the disease leads to disruption of the kidneys (nephropathy), cardiac arrhythmia, pulmonary edema. Some children develop convulsions, coma. Therefore, early diagnosis of the disease is necessary. In such cases, the disease of cholera is curable in almost a hundred percent of cases.
Treatment of sick children, as well as adults, is carried out only permanently. Therapy is aimed at replenishing the lost fluid. Patients with severe form of fluid injected intravenously.
Care for the patient also includes a thorough disinfection of household items and stool.
Do not forget about a full and healthy diet. After all during illness the person loses a lot of liquid, and at the same time weight.
The best prevention of cholera in children is to teach to always and everywhere wash hands, food and drink only boiled water. This is especially important when a child visits a kindergarten or school.
The development of medicine and science in our time has givensolution for the treatment of many dangerous diseases. For example, plague, smallpox, typhus became conditional illnesses, as the vaccine completely eradicated them from our lives. Cholera disease, in contrast to them, is still relevant in some parts of the Earth. However, effective methods of treating this disease have been found. It's enough just to ask for help in time.
The largest outbreaks of the epidemic are recorded inremote areas of Africa, Asia, India. The main reason is polluted water, lack of sanitation, poverty and misery. For many residents of those countries, the concept of "hospital" is unfamiliar. In such cases, the diagnosis of cholera and the first emergency can be done independently (though not always successfully).