Cholera Making Headlines Worldwide
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blindness-themovie.com l Cholera Making Headlines Worldwide
Cholera is a bacterial disease that is affecting humans on a global level. The infected has immense diarrhea which leads to dehydration so severe that it can be fatal. An interesting fact, Cholera was the very first reportable disease in America when tens of millions of people died from it in the 19th century. Most people get cholera through contaminated food and water sources. The CDC says that cholera has been an ongoing global endemic for decades. Typically cholera outbreaks start after a disaster where sanitation and human wastes are not properly disposed of. As we are seeing in Haiti. Before the earthquake hit, Haiti had not had a cholera outbreak in over 50 years. As of February 2011, there have been well over 6500 deaths in Haiti from the disease according to the WHO. A few individuals in America get cholera but that typically is a result of traveling. However, some of those cases have been a result of seafood, such as oysters from the Gulf Coast area. Cholera is said to live in salt water environments as well. Right now there is an outbreak hitting the Congo where hundreds of deaths have already been reported and the toll is expected to rise. Essentially, cholera is all over daily world news because of these new eruptive outbreaks.
According to WHO, there are an estimated 3 to 5 million cases of cholera infections per year, and out of those, up to 300 hundred thousand will die. It has an incubation period of only 2 to 5 days, where as healthy individuals usually recover quickly. The world has seen cholera cases rise by as much as 24 percent in only 4 years, from 2004 to 2008 and in only 54 countries. Statistics of cholera from other countries are limited due to the lack of reporting due to fear of trade sanctions being imposed, such as the food exports from those countries. The thing about cholera is, it is easily preventable simply by boiling the water and cooking foods. There are vaccines as well which are highly recommended in places where explosive outbreaks are common, but is not necessary. The most effective vaccine for cholera only has an 85 percent effectiveness anyway. In any nation, proof of cholera vaccinations are not enforced because of the short incubation time and the fact that it is not typically transferred from contact. To avoid catching the potentially deadly disease, it is wise not to drink any water in countries where it is present, such as the Congo river.
