What do you need to know about cholera?

Cholera is an acute intestinal infectious disease transmitted from person to person. Cholera differs from other acute intestinal infections by the severity of the clinical course, high mortality and the ability to infect large contingents of the population over vast territories in a relatively short time.

Atyrau region belongs to the I type of territory in terms of epidemiological danger.

The last case of cholera in the region was detected in the Makhambet district in 1997, the case was presumably imported. In general, a favorable epidemiological situation in cholera remains in the republic. Over the past 10 years, no local cases of cholera have been reported.

Transmission of cholera is carriedd out from person to person through the external environment, mainly by water. According to the mechanism of transmission, cholera is a typical intestinal infection.

The incubation period (from the moment the patient is infected and until the first symptoms of the disease appear in him) with cholera lasts from 1 to 5 days, most often 2-3 days.

The following symptoms are grounds for suspecting cholera: fever (temperature – 37 ° C and above), nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, and arrival from cholera-affected countries must also be taken into account.

Preventive measures for cholera are as follows:

- observe personal hygiene measures: wash hands thoroughly before eating, preparing food, after using the toilet;

- drink boiled or bottled water;

- swim in water bodies permitted for organized recreation;

- do not consume raw and insufficiently thermally processed products of the sea, ocean and other water bodies;

- purchase food products, fruits and vegetables in places of authorized trade;

- thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables with boiled or bottled water.

If symptoms appear that may indicate a cholera disease (nausea, vomiting, loose stools, headache, dizziness), you should immediately seek medical help. Seeking medical help early will allow timely effective treatment of cholera and prevent adverse outcomes.