Cholera disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cholera disease - Essay Example Severe dehydration as a result of this disease can lead to loss of life. Most people who suffer from this disease might have ingested the disease-causing organisms via food or water contaminated with V. cholerae. Although its symptoms are mild, healthy individuals develop profuse diarrhea within a day or a week after ingesting the disease-causing bacteria. The symptoms and signs of cholera are depicted by a watery diarrhea that often contains traces of whitish material that are approximately the size of rice grains. As a result of this, the diarrhea is also referred to as â€Å"rice-water stool†. The diarrhea from a person suffering from this disease smells fishy. The volume of diarrhea produced by a victim of this disease can be enormous; the volumes may range from 10 to 18 liters in a span of 24 hours for an adult weighing 70 kg (â€Å"Cholera - Vibrio cholerae infection†, 2013). Apart from watery diarrhea, persons suffering from this disease may also portray the following symptoms and signs: vomiting, rapid heart rate as well as loss of skin elasticity. It may also result to dry mucous membranes, low blood pressure and muscle cramps. The symptoms and signs of the disease may also include thirst feelings in addition to restlessness. Individuals that portray these symptoms are occasionally advised to seek immediate hydr ation in order to prevent the symptoms from advancing because they may result to severe cholera (Adler, 2013). Severe cholera often results to severe dehydration which may lead to acute renal failure, coma, as well as severe electrolyte imbalances. If untreated, severe dehydration results to shock and death. Severe dehydration is often experienced four to eight hours after the patient has passed the first liquid stool. It leads to death in 18 hours or few days if it remains untreated. The outbreak of this disease in underdeveloped countries can result to the mortality rate of about 50 to