“Eat healthy food, it is a medicine. Eat contaminated food, it is a poison”
Cholera, an infectious disease caused by the vibrio cholerae bacteria. It is an acute infection of the small intestine that causes diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and dehydration, and even death if left untreated. It is caused by eating contaminated food and water where the bacteria is present. The incubation period ranges from 18 hours to 5 days. Cholera has become a global threat to public health and an indicator of a lack of social development.
Cholera is common in Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. About 1.3 to 4 million people suffer from cholera every year and 21000 to 143000 people lose their lives from it.
Symptoms of Cholera are mild but they can turn serious. Some of the symptoms are:
- Thirst
- Muscle cramps
- Low blood pressure
- The dry mucous membrane inside the mouth, nose, and eyelids
Cholera has existed in Nepal for a long time. The cases of Cholera today in Nepal are increasing at an alarming rate. The largest cholera outbreak in Nepal was in 2009 in Jajarkot with more than 30000 people affected and more than 500 people losing their life. If you have such symptoms, it is necessary to get them tested to be sure if they are the symptoms of Cholera. Since cholera is highly infectious and is a communicable disease, getting the test done in time will be easy to treat and protect yourself and your family.
To see if you have the symptoms of cholera you would need to go through Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT). To know more information about this test, you can contact Crystal Diagnostic and even get the test done here.