Cholera: Overview, Stages, and Recovery

Cholera: Overview, Stages, and Recovery

What Is Cholera? 

Consumption of water or food infected with the bacteria Vibrio cholera can result in the bacterial disease “cholera”. Extreme diarrhea and a quick and severe loss of body salts are its defining characteristics. Its reputation as a ferocious and relentless killer makes it such a terrifying illness.

Food that has been washed, cooked, or sprayed with contaminated water also has the potential to transmit the disease. Shellfish and seafood, especially if consumed uncooked, are among the foods with the highest risk of spreading the illness. 

Rapid loss of significant volumes of electrolytes and fluids can, in the worst scenarios, result in death within hours. In less severe cases, those who don’t get treatment can pass away from thirst and shocks for hours to days once their initial cholera symptoms occur.

What Are The 3 Stages of Cholera? 

According to how quickly and how long fluid is lost, cholera can be mild or severe. Three stages, which frequently blend into one another without being able to tell them apart, are typically used to characterize the progression of a severe case of cholera.

  • Evacuation – Vomiting occurs shortly after the sudden beginning of profuse, painless, watery diarrhea.
  • Collapse – Dehydration causes the sufferer to pass out shortly. The typical symptoms include hollow cheeks, sunken eyes, a scaphoid abdomen, a subnormal temperature, unrecordable blood pressure, absent pulse, a lack of skin elasticity, and shallow, rapid breathing. Urinary production declines and eventually can stop. Leg and abdominal cramping, restlessness, and extreme thirst are among the reported symptoms. At this point, dehydration and acidity brought on by diarrhea may result in death.
  • Recovery – If there is no death, the patient starts to exhibit clinical improvement. Their temperature returns to normal, the blood pressure starts to increase, and the urine flow resumes. If anuria continues, renal failure could lead to the patient’s death.

Can You Recover From Cholera?

Cholera can be easily treated if it is discovered early. Most people with mild – to – moderate cases recover within a week. If they receive medical attention, even cholera patients with severe cases recover entirely in a week or so.

Patients who receive prompt treatment for cholera typically recover without suffering any long-term effects. After they recover, cholera patients normally do not develop into carriers of the bacteria, although they can get sick if infected again.

At Ranchland Pharmacy, our pharmacists can provide you with advice on when to get the cholera vaccine. The vaccine offers some defense against cholera which is brought on by different types of bacteria that can be caught at any place.

Make an appointment at our pharmacy to get your vaccine and visit our website for more information on other topics