Cholera Outbreak Epidemic Of Cholera

1. Models are analogies that allow us to clarify hypotheses—proposed explanation of relationships between. What roles do models play in testing hypotheses?

Some of the most emerging and re-emerging agents of the waterborne diseases are; Cholera which is caused by the ingestion of water that is infected by Vibrio Cholerae. This is a painless form of diarrhea characterized by watery stool. Dysentery which is caused by Escherichia Coli. Typhoid that is caused by Salmonella typhi which is usually accompanied by fever is yet another disease. Gastroenteritis diseases caused by Giardia and Cryptosporodia and some species of hepatitis are also known to be caused by water (CDC, 2011). These disease causing agents find their way into the human body through infected water that people from the poorer communities in Uganda use and have no option of cleaner water.

Outbreaks of cholera were not isolated to the European and Asian continents, as several major cases within the United States have been recorded back to colonial times. As trade increased with the old world, infected sailors bringing the disease to major port cities, spreading it even further as products became distributed across the nation. Famously documented as one of the most vital turning points for public health medicine within the US, the city of Chicago mirrored what was unfolding in the 1854 London outbreak. Congruent to Snow’s findings, entire families suddenly became severely ill and dying off. As an effort to combat the pestilence, Ellis Chesbrough, an already established railroad engineer, designed a series of sewer systems modeled

1 Katz, L. S., Petkau, A., Beaulaurier, J., Tyler, S., Antonova, E. S., Turnsek, M. A., . . . Tarr, C. L. (2013). Evolutionary Dynamics of Vibrio cholerae O1 following a Single-Source Introduction to Haiti. MBio, 4(4). doi:10.1128/mbio.e00398-13 2 July 2013

Cholera is a bacterial infection that causes severe diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration, shock, and death. We chose this topic because the highly publicized earthquake that occurred in Haiti in 2010 played a large role in the cholera epidemic that arose 8 months after the earthquake. Since the earthquake, there have been over 470,000 confirmed cases of cholera (Cholera -Vibrio Cholerae Infection 2014). Cholera persists there because of the poor sanitary conditions and the unprotected drinking water facilities that have been contaminated by the bacteria. Fixing the issue of cholera in Haiti requires a three-part approach such as vaccinations, water filtration and education. Using our needs assessment, in

Chao, D. L., Halloran, M. E., & Longini, I. M. (2011). Vaccination strategies for epidemic cholera in Haiti with implications for the developing world. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(17), 7081–7085. http://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1102149108

The water source is important because cholera can be transmitted in feces that contain the strain of Vibrio Cholerae. Thus, the water can contaminated. The united nations have established a water quality monitoring system that is implemented in 56 health centers. They have constructed wastewater treatment plants, provided sewage management in internally displaced camps as well as built sanitary facilities in 240 schools. Besides creating proper infrastructure, the united nations have supplied critical items for prevention and treatment of cholera such as water purification tablets, soap and medical supplies and equipment. They have also purchased oral cholera vaccines that were administered to 110,000 people (UN Fact Sheet: Combatting Cholera in Haiti 2013). Even though the United Nations has reduced the risk of cholera for about 1.2 million people, the rest of the population is still suffering with the disease (UN Fact Sheet: Combatting Cholera in Haiti 2013).

In many areas of the country, cholera remains a huge threat. Clean drinking water, free from sewage and contaminants may not sound like a luxury, but in parts of Haiti, it is. Much of Haiti is deforested due to the dramatic need for wood and the lack of shelter. So the need is still there.

Haiti, home to over ten million of people and many more all over the world, is one of the poorest nation in the Americas. In 2010 and 2011, Haiti was heavily affected by a large cholera outbreak that spread throughout the country (Page et al., 2015). Its low economy and its substantially high occurrences of adverse events and insecurity have made the country the recipient of many humanitarian aids and peace keeping missions for almost as long as the country have been independent (Page et al., 2015). It is not to forget that the cholera outbreak that started in the latter of the 2010 year and lingers until today is a complete mirror effect of Haiti’s substandard infrastructure, lack of sanitation and poor water quality have not only make this

The migration of a population displaced by a natural disaster such as the occurrence of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that hit the people of Haiti did introduce mortality rates due to unhealthy and unsanitary conditions the refugees lived under in camps. The overcrowded living conditions facilitated a quadrupled spread and transmission of infectious disease such as cholera bacteria inflicting diarrhea. These infections are easily spread through contaminated water. Emotional stress which has a great impact on the physical as well as the mental health of the population quickly degraded the body immune system. Inadequate quantities and qualities of water to sustain health and personal hygiene, poor environmental sanitation and insufficient shelter are all factors that made cholera more potent. An infectious disease like cholera thrives best in a malnutrition host with no access to health care. However, it would be appropriate to educate the people about the bacteria involved hence the need to highlight on the origin (primary) of the bacteria causing cholera. The secondary transmission route would also be enumerated and the impact they both have on the people. The ways in which the spread of the infection could be reduced would further be elaborated.

A major challenge and cause of serious medical issues in Sub-Saharan Africa is the lack of access to a clean water supply. There are 345 million people that lack access to water in Africa. Unfortunately, when water is available it is high in contamination. When wells are built and water sanitation facilities are developed, they cannot be maintained properly to due to limited financial resources. Water quality testing is not performed as often as necessary and the people are unaware that the water may not be safe to drink. Oftentimes, when a source of water has been provided, the quantity of water is often given more attention over the quality of. Lack of clean drinking is the leading cause of diarrheal diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa and causes 7.7% of deaths in Africa. Diarrhea is caused by numerous bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms most of which can be spread by contaminated water. The importance of diarrheal diseases has mostly been overlooked. Through UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) there have been some accomplishments during the

Almost 100 countries worldwide are still affected by cholera and it’s virtually impossible to completely prevent an outbreak. If left alone, this rapidly infectious disease can cause many fatalities. However, improved methods for surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment, paired with higher standards of sanitation and personal

It is true that the earthquake exacerbated the water and sanitation problem in Haiti, but in reply to the statement of the sanitation issue of water contamination, cholera started because of feces that got into the Haitian's primary source of water.

And in 2015, the trends have tripled. Cholera is preventable, and treatable but many Haitians do not have the resources against this disease. After a mere five years, 9,041 deaths have been registered and over 750,000 have contracted the disease. The registered deaths do not even account for the Haitians who remained in their homes and died without record. Thousands of Haitians that live in impoverished areas are suffering from this disease, one that can be easily cured in a developed country like the U.S. Cases of cholera have been much more prevalent in the poverty stricken population than the small richer population, since poorer communities or rural villages don’t have access or cannot afford clean water. Despite the flows of donated money to aid with the epidemic, cases are still increasing due to the root problem never being solved -- the unsanitary

There are other common sources of cholera bacterium are surface or well water, seafood, raw fruits and vegetables, and grains. In water, Vibrio cholerae can survive for long periods of time, staying dormant. People in areas with poor sanitation, like crowded refugee camps, are at risk of cholera, due to the fact that water provided for said community could be a source of contamination of cholera bacteria. Seafood, when raw or undercooked, can be contaminated by cholera bacteria, if the seafood came from certain areas with contaminated waters. Since the 1970s, cholera outbreaks in the U.S. have been caused by smuggled seafood from cholera-infected areas, and from the Gulf of Mexico. Shellfish are especially contaminated, due to the fact that “they filter large amounts of water, concentrating the levels of cholera bacteria”. Raw fruits—especially unpeeled—and vegetables coming from an area with a source of cholera are another frequent source of the cholera bacteria. Innoculation of the fruits