STIs HIV Questions

Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholera bacteria. People can get sick when they swallow food or water contaminated with cholera bacteria. The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but can sometimes be severe and life-threatening. About 1 in 10 people with cholera will experience severe symptoms, which, in the early stages, include: profuse watery diarrhea (sometimes described as “rice-water stools”), vomiting, thirst, leg cramps, restlessness or irritability. People with severe cholera can develop severe dehydration, which can lead to kidney failure. If left untreated, severe dehydration can lead to shock, coma, and death within hours. To prevent the bacteria from spreading, all feces (human waste) from sick persons should be thrown away carefully to ensure it does not contaminate anything nearby. It can be treated by medications.