What is cholera?
Cholera is a sudden illness that happens when a person accidentally ingests (swallows) Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae) bacteria. When the bacteria infect a person’s intestines, they can cause very bad diarrhea and dehydration. These complications can sometimes lead to death.
What causes cholera?
Cholera comes from the V. cholerae bacteria. People infected with these bacteria can spread disease through their feces (also called stool or poop). They do so when infected feces get into the water system. If the water isn’t properly sanitized (cleaned), people using the water to drink, cook and wash risk exposure.
When a person eats or drinks food or water that contains V. cholerae, the bacteria grow inside them. The bacteria then make the small intestines secrete (leak) fluid, leading to diarrhea.
Cholera usually doesn’t spread directly from person to person, but it can. So it’s important to wash your hands to prevent infection.
Cholera bacteria also live in salty rivers and coastal waters. Some people have gotten cholera from eating raw or undercooked shellfish, though that’s rare.
What are the symptoms of cholera?
A cholera infection can be mild, with no symptoms. But about 10% of infected people develop severe symptoms, 12 hours to five days after ingesting the bacteria. These symptoms include:
- Diarrhea, or extremely watery poop.
- Intense thirst.
- Lower amounts of urine (pee).
- Muscle cramps.
- Restlessness or irritability.
- Vomiting.
- Weakness.
If you develop any cholera symptoms, immediately contact a healthcare provider. Mild symptoms may go away on their own in a few days. But dehydration can become deadly very quickly. Early treatment can save your life.
What problems can cholera cause?
Diarrhea and vomiting from cholera can make your body lose large amounts of important substances:
When your body doesn’t have enough of those things, you get dehydrated and may develop:
- Dry mucous membranes (such as in the eyes, nose and mouth).
- Fast heart rate.
- Hypokalemia (low potassium levels in the blood).
- Hypotension (low blood pressure).
- Loss of the natural stretchiness in skin.
Untreated, severe dehydration from cholera can lead to:
How is cholera treated?
The most important part of cholera treatment is preventing or reversing dehydration. Anyone with cholera should immediately replace the fluids and salts they’ve lost. A healthcare provider may prescribe:
- Oral rehydration solution (ORS): You may have to drink large amounts of a prepackaged mix of sugar, salts and water.
- Intravenous fluids: For a severe case of dehydration, a healthcare provider may use a needle to pump fluids directly into your veins.
Other treatments may include:
V. cholera bacteria usually disappear from the body within two weeks.
How is cholera diagnosed?
To test for cholera, a healthcare provider will need a sample of your stool. Often, you will poop into a collection cup or bag. Sometimes, a healthcare provider will insert a swab into your rectum (opening where poop comes out).
The sample gets sent to a laboratory, where experts will look at it under a microscope to identify the bacterium V. cholerae. Some areas where cholera is more common have access to a “dipstick” tool that can rapidly test a stool sample.
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