Verified By August 18, 2020
With the monsoons come the long-awaited rain showers. However, that is not all, as the monsoon also brings forth a spate of diseases. One such disease is cholera that continues to strike people year after year. It is an infectious disease that is caused by bacteria and the main symptoms of cholera include an upset stomach, uncontrollable vomiting, and watery stools.
Read on to know more about the symptoms of cholera and the steps you can take to keep it at bay:
An acute infection of the small intestine, Cholera is characterised by vomiting, abdominal cramps, and watery stools. The bacterium that causes this disease is the Vibrio Cholera. It produces severe diarrhoea by causing an increased release of water in the intestines.
Here are some ways in which cholera can get passed on:
After infecting a person, cholera usually starts to show symptoms in a short time period. In the beginning, a person experiences stomach aches (cramps) but does not feel sick otherwise. Then diarrhoea (rice-water stools) and vomiting take over. After that, the person will experience a mild fever. Fluid loss through diarrhoea can be quite excessive, with people losing up to 1 litre per hour.
Cholera can turn out to be deadly, if:
Common signs that a person is a dehydrated include:
Blood and stool culture are done to diagnose cholera.
The aim is to replace electrolytes and water that is lost due to vomiting and diarrhoea.
As dehydration can also cause death, do not take the symptoms of cholera lightly. Ensure that treatment is begun immediately.
For the prevention of cholera, clean drinking water is key. Here are some simple steps that you can follow in order to protect yourself: