Cholera

Question 1

What is cholera?

Answer 1

Cholera is an acute, secretory diarrhoea caused by infection with Vibrio cholerae of the O1 and O139 serogroups. Cholera is endemic in over 50 countries and also causes large epidemics.

Question 2

What is cholera caused by?

Answer 2

Vibrio cholerae

Question 3

What are the clinical features of cholera?

Answer 3

Watery diarrhoea that begins suddenly
Abdominal cramps
Nausea
Vomiting
Excessive thirst
Dry mouth
Dry skin
Oliguria
Drowsiness or lethargy
Irritability

Question 4

How would you manage cholera?

Answer 4

Aggressive fluid replacement: effective therapy can decrease mortality from over 50% to less than 0.2%.

Antibiotics (Doxycycline or co-trimoxazole) decrease volume and duration of diarrhoea by 50% and are recommended for patients with moderate to severe dehydration.

Question 5

How would you prevent cholera?

Answer 5

Prevention of cholera depends on access to safe water and sanitation. Two oral cholera vaccines are available and the most effective use of these in integrated prevention programs is being actively evaluated.