Cholera is an infectious bacterial disease caused by Vibrio cholerae that infects the small intestine. It is typically contracted by consuming food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected individual. The bacteria release a toxin that causes severe watery diarrhea and vomiting, which can lead to rapid dehydration and death if untreated. The disease spreads through the fecal-oral route, with transmission aided by the bacteria's ability to form biofilms on crustaceans like copepods, allowing large concentrations to infect humans. Prevention focuses on drinking safe water, handwashing, proper sanitation, and fully cooking food.

2. 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.

3. DEFINITION OF CHOLERA
Cholera is an infectious and often fatal
bacterial disease of the small intestine,
typically contracted from infected water
supplies and causing severe vomiting and
diarrhea.

4. CAUSES OF CHOLERA
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.

5. SYMPTOMS OF CHOLERA
Symptoms of cholera can begin as soon as a few hours or as long as five
days after infection. Often, symptoms are mild. But sometimes they are
very serious. About one in 20 people infected have severe
watery diarrhea accompanied by vomiting, which can quickly lead
to dehydration. Although many infected people may have minimal or
no symptoms, they can still contribute to spread of the infection.
Signs and symptoms of dehydration include:
* Rapid heart rate
* Loss of skin elasticity (the ability to return to original position quickly
if pinched)
* Dry mucous membranes, including the inside of the mouth, throat,
nose, and eyelids
* Low blood pressure
* Thirst
* Muscle cramps
If not treated, dehydration can lead to shock and death in a matter of
hours.

6. TRANSMISSION OF CHOLERA
Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent responsible
for cholera. It is a bean-shaped bacterium with a
long tail that it uses for self-propulsion. The
bacteria are transmitted between humans through
the fecal-oral route; a bite of contaminated food or
a sip of contaminated water can cause
infection. More specifically, a toxin secreted by the
bacteria, which targets receptors in the human
intestine, is responsible for the pathology
characteristic of the disease. Symptoms include
excessive, watery diarrhea; vomiting; dehydration;
and, without proper treatment, rapid deterioration
and death

7. Before infecting a human host, a key component of
the vibrios’s survival strategy in its aquatic
environment is the close interaction between the
bacteria and a type of shrimp-like crustacean called
a copepod. The cholera bacteria acquire strength in
numbers through the formation of biofilms on the
copepod surface. These biofilms act as a protective
barracks for the bacteria—within the biofilm
structure, the bacteria can survive unfavorable
conditions during inter-epidemic periods

8. The aggregation of the vibrios on the copepod also
produces a very effective vehicle for transmission
to human hosts. Studies suggest that anywhere
from 103 to 105 vibrios are required to produce
clinical cholera. However, as a result of biofilm
formation, a mere 1-10 copepods can harbor
enough V. cholera to lead to disease. In areas with
poor sanitation and a lack of water infrastructure,
copepods are commonly found in drinking water –
dramatically increasing the risk of cholera
infection.

9. PREVENTION OF CHOLERA
* Drink and use safe water
* Wash your hands often with soap and safe water
* Use latrines or bury your faeces. Do not defecate in
water.
* Cook food well (especially seafood), keep it covered, eat it
hot, and peel fruits and vegetables before eat.
* Clean up safely—in the kitchen and in places where the
family bathes and washes clothes
* Consider getting vaccinated before you travel

10. Drink and use safe water
* Bottled water with unbroken seals and canned or bottled carbonated
drinks are safe to drink.
* Use safe water to wash and prepare food.
* Clean food preparation areas and kitchenware with soap and safe water
and let dry completely before reuse.
To be sure water is safe to drink and use:
* Boil it or treat it with a chlorine product or household bleach.
* If boiling, bring your water to a complete boil for at least 1 minute.
* To treat your water with chlorine, use one of the locally available
treatment products and follow the instructions.
* If a chlorine treatment product is not available, you can treat your water
with household bleach. Add 2 drops of household bleach for every 1 liter
of water and wait 30 minutes before drinking.
* Always store your treated water in a clean, covered container.

11. Wash your hands often with soap and safe water
* Before you eat or prepare food
* Before feeding your children
* After using the latrine or toilet
* After taking care of someone ill with diarrhea
Use latrines or bury your faeces
* Use latrines or other sanitation systems, like chemical
toilets, to dispose of faeces.
* Wash hands with soap and safe water after defecating.
* Clean latrines and surfaces contaminated with faeces using
a solution of 1 part household bleach to 9 parts water.

12. Cook food well
* Boil it, Cook it, Peel it, Wash it.
* Be sure to cook shellfish (like crabs and crayfish) until they are
very hot all the way through.
* Avoid raw foods other than fruits and vegetables you have
peeled yourself.
Clean up safely
* Wash yourself, your children, diapers, and clothes, 30 meters
away from drinking water sources.
Consider getting vaccinated before you travel
* Vaccination is recommended for most travelers visiting areas
where cholera is endemic as well as for those living in these
areas.
* The vaccine contains heat-killed bacteria.
* The FDA recently approved a single-dose live oral cholera is
recommended for adults who are 18 – 64 years old and are
traveling to an area of active cholera transmission with
toxigenic Vibrio cholerae (the bacteria strain that most
commonly causes cholera) to prevent infection.

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