by Mariam Rasheed
Cholera is a water borne disease caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation. In areas where Cholera are common, children aged 5 have the highest rate of infection but all age groups are at risk. And the symptoms of cholera are irritability,severe diarrhea, nausea, vomiting,fatigue and so on.
Ways in which cholera can be prevented are through modern sewage and water treatment and also with the use of vaccines such as Dukoral,Shanchol,Euvichol. There are types of cholera which are subdivided into three sereotypes and they are Ogawa,Inaba, and Hikojima. The Hikojima serotype is rare and thought to be unstable.
What Is The Current Status Of Cholera?
As of April 2024 there has been a total number of 52,526 new cholera cases, including 529 deaths,have been reported world wide. And the countries reporting the most cases are Syria, Afghanistan, Ethiopia,Yemen and Haiti.
The status of cholera in Nigeria,as of January 2022,a total number of 111,062 suspected cases and 3,604 deaths were reported from 33 states and the FCT in 2021. There has also been recent cases in other southern African nations including Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. More than 200,000 cases and over 3,000 deaths have been reported since the start of 2023,UNICEF said.
The stages of cholera are; Evacuation stage, Stage of collapse and Stage of recovery. Cholera without treatment can be fatal within hours, even for people without immediate symptoms, so it should be treated immediately and also be prevented if possible.
Is cholera increasing or decreasing?
The world is facing a rapid reoccurrence of the 7th cholera pandemic characterized by the size, number and concurrene of multiple outbreaks, the spread to areas and places free of cholera for decades and increasingly high mortality rates. There are also antibiotics used for the treatment of cholera and they are ; Doxycycline this is used as the first choice of treatment given to all patients of cholera regardless of their age be it adults, children, pregnant women etc. Ciprofloxacin or azithromycin can be used as alternatives in situations where there is no doxycycline resistance.
Cholera is mostly rampant during the raining seasons but lesser cases appear during cold weather.
