BEHIND PANDEMICS: A journey through the worst epidemics and pandemics that changed our world. From the Roman Empire to the modern Era by Anversa David
Author:Anversa, David [Anversa, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2020-04-30T16:00:00+00:00
Cholera Pandemic
Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease which is caused by a bacterium called Vibrio cholera. The disease has existed for a long time. The origin of the disease is said to be Ganges, India. Before the 19th century, several outbreaks had occurred in India. Up to date, the disease continues to be a threat to some communities where the disease is endemic. This term means that the disease is found locally in the community, and active transmission takes place, and no infection comes from outside the area. It is important to note that an outbreak can occur in an area that is endemic or not. Cholera outbreaks are usually very severe and cost many lives.
Vibrio cholera is a microorganism that tends to survive in warm places, especially in water. There are many strains or serogroups of the bacterium. However, only two have been seen to cause outbreaks. These are O1 and O139. Vibrio cholera O1 has been the cause of all recent cholera outbreaks, while O139 only caused epidemics in the past. Moreover, the strain O139 has not yet been identified outside Asia. Both serogroups cause the same illness, cholera. There is absolutely no difference in the manifestations of the strain when they infect the human body.
Cholera is a very virulent disease that affects both children and adults. When one is infected, they may show symptoms within hours or after a few days. The patients develop smelly, whitish diarrhea. Most patients describe it as rice-water diarrhea. It is whitish due to the disruption of mucous membranes along the digestive tract by the bacteria. The diarrheal fluid volume varies from 10-18 liters depending on the severity of the illness. The patients also vomit so much. The vomit, coupled with diarrhea, causes dehydration and imbalance of electrolytes within the body, making cholera a deadly disease. Dehydration also causes the skin to lose elasticity, making it wrinkled and the mucous membranes to be dry. Moreover, patients become very thirsty.
Furthermore, severe dehydration causes the patient to have low blood pressure, which interferes with the normal functioning of the body. The heart rate becomes rapid in an attempt to make up for low blood pressure. They experience excruciating muscle cramps as well as fatigue. Patients release little or no urine as a result of severe water loss via diarrhea and throwing up. In extreme cases, patients may experience septic shock, seizures, or death.
There have been seven cholera pandemics between the 19th and 20th centuries. The first cholera pandemic occurred between 1817 and 1824. Calcutta was the origin of this monstrosity. That is why it is also known as the first Asiatic cholera pandemic. It then spread to South East Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Africa, as well as the Mediterranean coast. The disease affected almost every country in Asia. It claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. It is crucial to understand that even before this pandemic, the disease had been endemic in the area in lower Ganges River. From here, it used to spread to the rest of India, and outbreaks would occur.
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