Taking a Look at Cholera

Cholera is a serious infection that can be fatal. The bacterium is disseminated by the so-called fecal-oral rout as a consequence of sewage and fecal contamination of water supplies and foodstuffs (Cholera). Lasting from 1881 until 1896, the Fifth Pandemic was the time that Robert Koch isolated and identified the causative microbe for Cholera. Cholera is endemic to India, Bangladesh, and regions of South America, Africa, Australia and Gulf coast of the Unites States. There has been seven pandemics since 1817. The first six started in Indian subcontinent and were caused by Classical strains. The last one started in Indonesia and was caused by El Tor

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

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

12 Joaquín Sánchez; Jan Holmgren (February 2011). "Cholera toxin – A foe & a friend" (PDF). Indian Journal of Medical Research. 133. p. 158.

“In 1872, Alfred Haviland stated that ‘typhoid fever is now a national disgrace; we ought not to rest until we reduce it to one simply local or personal; its existence will then become punishable’” (Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences [JHMAS], 2010). Typhoid was not the only disease that plagued London at the time, cholera was also very widespread. “Before the cholera outbreak of 1849, it was believed that Thames water abstracted between the bridges in London was perfectly safe, as testified by the evidence of many experts, but that belief cost London 25,000 lives in 1849 and 1854.” There are two reasons why these diseases were so prevalent during this time. One was due to having little knowledge in the subject of diseases and how the microorganisms that caused them functioned. Dr. George Turner provided some insight into this subject. In regard to the bacillus of typhoid and cholera “That, he said, which kills one does not affect another; that which favours the propagation of one does not favour the propagation of another.” He goes on to say that if the filtration system can mechanically hold back the smaller germs of typhoid, it should also be able to hold back the larger microbes of cholera. Although, he follows it up with he distinctly thought this argument could not be carried from one bacillus to another until it was actually

Vibrio cholerae is a bacterium that infects the intestines of humans (CDC, 2016). While there are several strains of vibrio cholerae, only two types have been known to cause cholera outbreaks and only one (type O1) is responsible for outbreaks globally (WHO, 2015). Cholera infection is an acute diarrheal disease (CDC, 2016). It is extremely virulent and can affect children and adults with equal severity if left untreated (WHO, 2015). Vibrio cholerae has a short incubation period of 2 to 5 days, an aspect of the disease that leads to severe patterns of outbreaks (WHO, 2015).

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

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

In 19th Century London was suffering very badly with the Cholera during that time Dr. John Snow was the member of the Royal college of Surgeons and he made significantly contributions to the medical research. That time people’s belief was dieses was the results of the evil’s behavior. At that time there were two theories for the notation for Cholera. First, Miasma theory which is opposed by Snow. Second, the germ theory which was accepted by Snow. Snows hypotheised that the Cholera spreaded due to the spoiled water. He also pointed out that the risk to catch the dieses depends on the people’s life style, work and contact with sick person, regular habits.

The rehydration with plenty of fluids, whether oral or intravenous is the prime method to treat patients with cholera. The use of antibiotics along with rehydration is the preferred method of treatment for cholera. The antibiotics help stop the growth of the bacteria thus killing off any bacteria that is present. Some of the antibiotics that are used are Ciprofloxacin, Doxycycline, and Azithromycin.

As for cholera epidemic that cause environmental factors that promote the growth of bacterial accumulation and plagued humanity. Its an acute diarrheal infection caused by bacterium Vibrio cholera, which provokes disease in humans. “Vibrio cholera is a slightly curved gram negative rod with single polar flagellum. Cholera bacilli grows in the small intestine and produce an exotoxin, cholera toxin that cause hosts cells to secrete water and electrolytes, as well as potassium” [16]. It results in watery diarrhea and vomiting, if not treated it can cause a massive lost in bodily fluids that will cause dehydration, hypovolemic shock and death. As well as, rapid heart rate, loss of skin elasticity, dry mucous membranes, low blood pressure, thirst

Cholera is a diarrhoeal infection caused by consuming food or water that has been contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae (WHO, 2016). After the January 2010 earthquake, Haiti experienced an outbreak of cholera with 60,240 cumulative cases and 1,415 deaths by November 2010. Haiti has reported approximately 800,000 cases of cholera and 9,300 deaths ever since (WHO, 2016). Since hurricane Matthew struck in Haiti on October 4, 2016, there have been increasing numbers of cholera cases in the following departments: Grand’Anse (148 cases), Sud (53 cases), Nord-Ouest (6 cases), and Artibonite (28 cases). The World Health Organization is currently supporting Haiti by sending one million doses of the Oral Cholera Vaccines (WHO, 2016).

They explain that cholera is “an acute diarrhoeal disease that can kill within hours if left untreated” (World Health Organization, 2016).

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

The world has experienced a total of four pandemics in the twentieth century starting in 1918 until present. In 1918, the spanish flu caught worldwide attention when it infected close to half the population of the world, claiming more than 40 million lives. What made the spanish flu capable of infecting over a billion people was the ability to quickly transfer from person to person. At the time, world war 1 was happening and the mass activation and recruitment of troops to fight made the spread of the flu easy.