Disease is worldwide. Some, unfortunately, may continue to be a problem for decades or centuries to come. Cholera is one disease that continues to disrupt parts of the world. Cholera is death by diarrhea (Symington, 2011). It is a potentially severe disease that affects the digestive system, leading to extreme dehydration with the possibility of death within hours (Symington, 2011). The culprit responsible for this particular plague is the bacteria Vibrios cholerae (Kraft, 2010). Symptoms of cholera have been traced as far back as ancient Greek times and Sanskrit writings (Pukatzki & Provenzano, 2013). Between 1817 and 1961 there have been seven pandemic outbreaks that killed millions of people (Cable News Network, 2013.). In the …show more content…
The cells are highly motile via means of a single, polar flagellum (Todar, n.d.). Vibrios are found most often in marine and freshwater environments but prefer a slightly salty venue for prime growth to occur (Todar, n.d.). V. cholerae is part of the plankton ecosystem therefore it can easily move through multiple environments (Kraft, 2010). The bacteria also form biofilm colonies by blanketing the surface of rocks, plants, shells and the like, within their watery surroundings (Kraft, 2010). Cholera appears to affect only humans (Finkelstein, 1996). It mostly targets people who live in countries lacking proper sanitation systems and/or safe drinking water (Sack, Lyke, McLaughlin, Suwanvanichkij, 2001). The disease is typically scarce in industrialized populations (Cable News Network, 2013). The main mode of V. cholerae transmission is the consumption of food or water containing fecal-contaminated bacteria (Sack et al., 2001). The bacteria can be transferred through food tainted by infected people who have inadequate hygiene methods after going to the bathroom or by improperly prepared foods, such as shellfish obtained from contaminated waters (Symington, 2011). Often it is difficult to distinguish between water and food as the source of contamination due to the fact that water frequently contaminates food (Sack et al., 2001). More bacteria enter our environment through waste each time a
1. The Europeans poured have poured something into the water which sterilized the water and killed the toxins that become disruptive in the digestive system when they are consumed. They Europeans may have poured what are called oral rehydration salts into the well, which quickly works are combatting the cholera, and will prevent further outbreaks from occurring.
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.
Causes: Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The bacteria releases a toxin that causes increased release of water from cells in the intestines, which produces severe
Between the 1830’s to 1860’s, cholera spread into the United States from India by trade routes. Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by drinking or eating material that is infected with Vibrio cholerae. Cholera causes watery diarrhoea, but can show days later or never show
Although most disease struck the poorest, the upper class was not fully immune. Because people wanted to move to cities to make their lives better, they were forced to live around these diseases without proper means for prevention, protection, and recovery. Once contracting the disease, they would either die within hours or suffer from uncontrollable diarrhea and pain. In addition, scientific knowledge on disease was not as developed as it fortunately is today. Doctors had not yet learned the concept of a germ theory and instead associated the disease with the “bad air” that surrounded toxic, polluted cities. This “bad air” was known as miasa and was incorrectly used to explain the spread of cholera in major cities during the mid 1800s. After studies and research, doctors noticed that there was a heavy concentration of miasmata near certain rivers, but they still connected it to a lack of air quality in bustling cities such as Manchester, London, and Paris. Although air pollution and coal emissions did play a role in certain illnesses, they were not the main cause for diseases such as cholera. Poor ventilation, dirty homes, malnourishment, and no access to clean water made people easily susceptible to a ruthless disease like cholera. Moreover, causes of cholera were investigated more thoroughly after John Snow’s theory claimed that cholera was spread through the water John Snow was an English physician who is today considered one of the fathers of modern epidemiology, the branch of medicine that deals with the distribution and control of diseases relating to health. Finally, doctors could see cholera in a new light and were able to find better means of protection and prevention for its victims. Today, doctors recognize the germ theory of disease which states that some diseases are caused by microorganisms, and not just by “bad
The last event has been ongoing since mid March 2017, but on July 21, 2017 was named the largest and worst Cholera outbreak. According to Aljazeera News, in the Asian country of Yemen, over 360,000 cases have been suspected and over 2,000 people are dead because of it in this war torn country. Cholera is a disease that is spread by contaminated food or water, and causes pain in the abdomen and severe nausea and vomiting. Sadly, according to the World Food Program, “Over 17 million Yemenis do not know where their next meal will come from.” I believe this impacted myself because it showed me to be grateful for my health, and the privilege i have of getting vaccinated for serious diseases. I believe the world has been impacted because it is the largest case ever and people are starting to take more action on the spreading and prevention of diseases in all countries.
Cholera most likely originated in India as many as 1,000 years ago. The earliest documentation of recorded symptoms is from a medical report written in 1563. Later, the first cholera pandemic initiated in 1817 when the bacterium spread from India to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Russia, the East African coast and the Middle East and lasted until 1823. Modernization eventually increased the extent of the illness through providing means by which the bacteria could spread. On its own, Cholera would have remained separated from the rest of the world by miles of land and sea, but technological innovations connected the continents, and it did not take long for the bacteria to infect the precise human beings who would provide them safe travel. In 1826, unknowing merchants inadvertently carried the disease over trade
Having Diarrhea for a prolonged amount of time causes dehydration and leads to a loss of electrolytes in the body. This loss causes an imbalance in electrolytes and body and can be fatal. According to Biology, people acquire Cholera by drinking contaminated water which contains human feces and is generally in poorer areas of the world. The bacterium begins by forming a film around the intestines and also produces a toxin. This toxin is an enzyme that modifies the receptors of the cells which constitute the intestines, which happen to regulate salt and water secretion. The toxin which modifies the G-proteins in a cell makes it unable to utilize GTP which keeps the cell in its active form (Campbell,
4Colwell, R. R. (1970). Polyphasic Taxonomy of the Genus Vibrio: Numerical Taxonomy of Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Related Vibrio Species. Journal of Bacteriology, 104(1), 410–433.
Water-borne diseases are caused by the ingestion of water contaminated by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites. These pathogens are spread through the feces or urine of an infected individual (africaneeds). The most common diseases are cholera, guinea worm and typhoid. People can easily contract these diseases if there is no system of sewage collection and treatment. In fact, almost 2.5 billion people worldwide do not have access to adequate sanitation (UN water). Climate change can also impact the water crisis in Africa. Water is necessary for survival, and when areas get
Cholera remains a drastically severe disease, killing hundreds of people each outbreak. When ingested, it attaches to the mucosal lining of the intestines and disrupts the normal flow of ions so that there is more sodium, chloride, and water in the intestinal lumen than normal and results in massive diarrhea. Cholera has made a global impact and been endemic in almost all parts of the world. Cholera control strongly emphasizes sanitation, clean drinking water, isolation, and careful food preparation. Two ways our body works against cholera as a self-limiting disease are sloughing cells and the secretory immunoglobulin (sIgA) antibody produced by mucus throughout our body. There are
Vibrio is a rod shaped bacteria that are also gram negative. They naturally appear in marine or estuarine environments. Also to note there are around about 12 species vibrio that have been known to cause diseases in humans which cause around about an estimated 80,000 illnesses, 500 hospitalizations and 100 deaths ever year in the US. The main reason that people get infected by vibrio is from coming into contact with seawater or through consuming raw or undercooked seafood. Vibriosis usually causes primary septicaemia (blood poisoning), diarrhoea, wound infections, or other extra intestinal infections. Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a strain of vibrio that has a rod shaped is usually found in saltwater and if ingested can causes gastrointestinal
The disease, cholera, is an infection of the intestines, caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. As stated in Microbes and Infections of the Gut, the bacterium is “a Gram-negative, comma- shaped, highly motile organism with a single terminal flagellum” (105). Cholera is characterized by the most significant symptom that presents with the disease, diarrhea, and victims can lose up to twenty liters of body fluids in a day. Cholera can be a serious disease, due to the serious dehydration that can occur, but it is only fatal if treatment is not administered as soon as possible. This research paper includes information on the causes of cholera, symptoms, ways of treatment, studies of treatments, complications that may occur, the
mortality outside of pneumonia (WHO/UNICEF, 2009, p.5). Furthermore, diarrhoeal illness remains one of the leading causes of global morbidity and mortality, with the majority of deaths occurring in children under 5 years of age (Pruss-Ustim and Corvalan, 2007. p.169).
Among the most widely known and feared human infectious diseases comes Cholera. Cholera is an infectious disease that has had 7 recorded pandemic outbreaks over the past 2 centuries, taking away millions of lives from across the globe. It is an acute ( critical) intestinal infection that causes copious watery diarrhea