What a horrible outbreak. Question for the experts. Aside from constant rehydration is there anything you can do for cholera? Are there medications that can speed recovery? BTW, I've seen photos of cholera clinics. Rows of beds fully covered in heavy plastic with a hole in the middle and a bucket underneath. The worst intestinal bug I've picked up was giardia, which was bad, but I couldn't even imagine cholera.

Cholera is a pretty vicious illness, and it seems to track disasters.

I'm no expert, but from what I've read, the actual cause of death in cholera cases is electrolyte imbalance. The bush cure IIRC is "a handful of sugar and a pinch of salt" mixed into sterilized water. The salt(s) are what they need to survive; but it can't pass through the intestinal wall without a bit of sugar. Something to do with the chemistry of osmosis (?).

Others here can comment with more authority.

If advanced medical care is not accessible for some reason, the best you can do at home is diligent rehydration and supportive care, using Oral Rehydration Salts, either from a commercial mix or the WHO formula, pedialyte, sports electrolyte drinks, etc. Anti-diarrhea medications are not helpful. Cholera is spread by the oral-fecal route, usually water-borne, but casual contact generally is safe. Proper isolation from, and sanitary disposal of, waste is essential. Standard Third-world type food and water precautions are also required in outbreak areas. There is no effective vaccine. The cot with a hole over a bucket is an old standby for cholera patient management. You may be sick as a dog, but mortality in otherwise healthy adults is < 1%. However, cholera can kill within hours, especially infants and other vulnerable populations. Antibiotics may shorten the course of the disease, but their use will likely be restricted to the sickest and most at risk, rather than being widely distributed to all patients.

Cholera is easier to prevent than to treat.

The westward movement to Oregon and California had a lot of cholera on the trail, due to poor sanitation contaminating the available water supply. It is said that the ones who didn't get it were often the busiest people -- they put water on the fire for coffee but were late getting back to it, and the water boiled thoroughly, killing the cholera bacteria.

Two basic rules to avoid it: wash your hands with clean water and boil the drinking water.

If they're using groundwater in Haiti, they should change to rainwater collection. Cholera is just something those poor souls just don't need in addition to everything else.

Sue

Actually, you're kind of right. Dehydration kills in cholera - but is it the lack of electrolyte or the lack of fluid? I honestly don't know.

Sodium can enter cells just fine. It's the glucose that needs the sodium to enter the intestinal cells. Of course, that also depends on a steady source of potassium. Google "sodium glucose transporter" if you want to know more. Then you'll have to figure out "sodium potassium transporter." Long story short, the sodium/potassium pump keeps the electric charge of a cell where it's supposed to be. Other proteins/pumps/transporters use that charge to bring stuff in or move it out. There's basic cell electrochemistry, for nearly every animal cell on the planet.

Got a heads-up notice for a possible return deployment to Haiti for the Cholera epidemic. Ought to be interesting!

My sources indicate potassium depletion and resultant cardiac complications. In any case hypovolemic shock from dehydration will do the job from any of a number of specific mechanisms. Untreated, mortality can be around 50%, but proper medical care, as simple as rehydration with Oral Rehydration Therapy or IVs, can drop that dramatically.

That's why I recommend anyone interested in long term survival in a post-disaster situation or anything where third world type diseases might come calling after a breakdown of basic water and sanitation systems know the ORT formula or maybe lay in a supply of the premixed stuff.

Ingredients:

* one level teaspoon of salt
* eight level teaspoons of sugar
* one litre of clean drinking or boiled water and then cooled
5 cupfuls (each cup about 200 ml.)

Preparation Method:

* Stir the mixture till the salt and sugar dissolve.

One sample source for a commercially available premix

Jeff_M.... is the salt... potassium chloride KCl (lite salt) or sodium chloride NaCl regular table salt?... possibly a good idea for a mix of both


years ago there was an oral IV for conscious trauma patients that were getting "shocky"

tablespoon of sodium bicarbonate NaHCO3 (baking soda)
teaspoon of sodium chloride NaCl (table salt)
quart of water

is this still an approved or recommended treatment?