Cholera is an infectious disease caused by the Vibrio cholerae bacterium found in contaminated food or water. It causes severe watery diarrhea that can lead to dehydration and death if untreated. The first cholera pandemic emerged in 1817 in India from contaminated rice. Symptoms include profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration. Treatment involves oral rehydration with clean water, while prevention focuses on drinking boiled or chemically treated water and eating cooked foods. A vaccine exists but rapid treatment of symptoms is still important to control cholera outbreaks.

1. CHOLERA
BY
Arush Kashyap
Sunay Shet
Mridul Kumar Jha

2. ORIGINATING OF THE VIRUS
The first cholera pandemic
emerged out of the Ganges
Delta with an outbreak in
Jessore, India, in 1817,
stemming from contaminated
rice. The disease quickly
spread throughout most of
India, modern-day Myanmar,
and modern-day Sri Lanka by
traveling along trade routes
established by Europeans.

3. WHAT IS CHOLERA ?
 Cholera is an infectious
disease that causes severe
watery diarrhea, which can
lead to dehydration and even
death if untreated. It is caused
by eating food or drinking
water contaminated with a
bacterium called Vibrio
cholerae.
 Cholera is mostly found in the
tropics of particular Asia,
Africa, Latin America, India,
and the Middle East.
 It's rare in the United States,
but people can still get it.

4. SYMPTOMS
 Approximately one in ten (5-10%) of infected persons
will have severe cholera which in the early stages
includes:
 Profuse watery diarrhea, sometimes described as “rice-
water stools,”
 Vomiting
 Rapid heart rat
 Loss of skin elasticity
 Dry mucous membranes
 Low blood pressure
 Thirst
 Muscle cramps

5. PREVECTIVE MEASURES
 You can protect yourself and your family by using only
water that has been boiled, water that has been chemically
disinfected, or bottled water. Be sure to use bottled, boiled,
or chemically disinfected water for the following purpose
 Drinking
 Preparing food or drinks
 Making ice
 Brushing your teeth
 Washing your face and hands
 Washing dishes and utensils that you use to eat or prepare
food
 Washing fruits and vegetables

6. CAUSES
 Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera, is
usually found in food or water contaminated by feces from
a person with the infection. Common sources include:
 Municipal water supplies.
 Ice made from municipal water.
 Foods and drinks sold by street vendors.
 Vegetables grown with water containing human wastes.
 Raw or undercooked fish and seafood caught in waters
polluted with sewage.
When a person consumes the contaminated food or water,
the bacteria release a toxin in the intestines that produces
severe diarrhea.
It is not likely you will catch cholera just from casual
contact with an infected person.

7. CURE
Cholera is an easily treatable disease. The majority of people
can be treated successfully through prompt administration of
oral rehydration solution (ORS). The WHO/UNICEF ORS
standard sachet is dissolved in 1 litre (L) of clean water. Adult
patients may require up to 6 L of ORS to treat moderate
dehydration on the first day.
Rapid access to treatment is essential during a cholera
outbreak. Oral rehydration should be available in
communities, in addition to larger treatment centres that can
provide intravenous fluids and 24 hour care. With early and
proper treatment, the case fatality rate should remain below
1%.

8. VACCINE
Vaxchora is a vaccine against
some of the bacteria that
causes cholera (vibrio cholerae
serogroup O1). It is the best
line of defense against cholera
infection, providing significant
protection against cholera. The
vaccine is recommended for
adult travelers 18 to 64 years
old going to cholera affected
regions.
In 1885, Spanish physician
Jaime Ferrán, who studied
under Koch's rival Louis
Pasteur, became the first to
create a cholera vaccine. He did
so after cultivating Vibrio
cholerae and working with the
live germs.