Poorva Chavan
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Written By: Poorva Chavan | Updated : July 6, 2016 5:57 PM IST
Cholera is one of the most common monsoon diseases in India. It is a bacterial infection that is spread by contaminated food and water. The bacteria is usually found in the patient's faecal matter and when food and water source get contaminated by it, the bacteria get's transmitted to humans and causes cholera. Many times sewer lines and drinking water lines run next to each other and if there's a leak in both, the faecal matter can contaminate the drinking water sources and can cause a variety of infections. Also, many times, drainage systems are not maintained properly and sewage usually runs on the roads. Insects such as flies are easily attracted by the waste and then contaminate food products that are not covered or sold on the roadside.
In the monsoon, the condition becomes even worse because the sewers overflow and there water puddles everywhere. There are high chances that dirking water sources get contaminated. Also, water easily percolates through cemented tanks used for storing drinking water.
Dr Ratan Kumar Vaish, Senior Physician and Director, Astha Multispecialty Centre , Delhi, says that cholera never affects one single person but it usually affects a number of people in a house or in the community.
Prevention of cholera involves taking care of personal hygiene and preventing contamination of food and water. Cholera can be treated easily and treatment usually symptomatic which means that cholera symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting are treated first.
ORS--The first line of treatment for mild to moderate cholera is administering Oral Rehydrating Salts, ORS. Because of frequent and rice water like diarrhoea, there are high chances that the patient is dehydrated and there's an electrolyte imbalance in the body. Dr Vaish says that it takes three to five days for the cholera bacteria and its toxins to be washed out from the body. Continuous administration for ORS not only helps in flushing out toxins but also helps in replenishing the lost electrolytes from the body.
Antacids and Proton Pump Inhibitors--Antacids and proton pump inhibitors help in reducing the gastric acid production in the stomach, prevent acidity and soothe it. A patient with cholera usually suffers from severe diarrhoea and vomiting because of which there's no food left in the stomach. Now, the stomach secretes acids to digest food, but in the case of diarrhoea there's no food left to digest and the stomach keeps on secreting the acid which is left unused. This acid when present in excess can destroy the inner lining of the stomach and also cause stomach ulcers. Proton Pump inhibitors and antacids help in preventing this.
Antibiotics--Antibiotics are given to the patient to fight the infection and also prevent a secondary infection.
Complications
The most important thing about preventing a cholera infection from becoming severe is protecting the patient from secondary infections. Because if not treated properly, cholera can cause complication such as hypovolemic shock where the body loses a lot of fluid from the body making it difficult for the heart to pump blood.
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