Cholera is a dangerous infectious disease, the causative agent of cholera vibrio. The toxins they release affect the small intestine, causing watery diarrhea and vomiting. One of the most striking cholera outbreaks was an epidemic in London in 1854 on Broad Street in the Soho area (Tulchinsky, 2018). At that time, the London authorities found no solution other than to dump waste from people’s vital activity into the Thames, which gave rise to a terrible stench and many harmful fumes. People died in large numbers from unknown diseases at that time. However, in 1854, a young and promising physician, John Snow, became interested in a condition that causes people to suffer from terrible pain, diarrhea, and vomiting (Tulchinsky, 2018). He meticulously examined each outbreak and noticed that people of the lower classes were sick much more often than the rich.
Snow’s idea was that sewage from the Thames got into homes through plumbing and spread cholera. The discovery neutralized the outbreak of the epidemic, but by that time, the explosion of cholera had already subsided. Snow’s merit is not only in the alternative theory that influenced the research of infectious diseases (Tulchinsky, 2018). The doctor analyzed a vast amount of data, interviewed witnesses, and compared patients’ social status and living conditions. It has also been found that cholera is transmitted by drinking water, shellfish, or other products contaminated with the excrement of people with symptomatic or asymptomatic infection. Domestic cholera patients have a high risk of disease, probably due to familiar contaminated food and water sources.
Sharp, painless, watery diarrhea and vomiting usually represent the initial symptoms. Dehydration of the body occurs quickly enough due to diarrhea and vomiting, which causes symptoms such as dryness of the mucous membranes and loss of skin elasticity (Deen et al., 2020). In addition, symptoms include lethargy, drowsiness, and cramps of the calf muscles. The resulting loss of fluid and electrolytes leads to intense thirst, oliguria, weakness, sunken eyes, and wrinkled skin on the fingers. An essential step in carrying out therapeutic measures for cholera is the reconstruction of the lost fluid. The patient is given unique salt solutions to drink, a sparing diet is prescribed, and sorbents are used to relieve the condition, neutralizing the toxins released by the cholera vibrio (Deen et al., 2020). With timely and complete treatment, recovery occurs after suppressing the infection.
In modern times, preventing the spread of such an infectious disease as cholera is more straightforward than in the 1800s. The main measures were correct hygiene measures, for example, thorough cleaning of premises, with the washing of walls and floors, as well as cleaning of sources that exuded an unpleasant odor (Deen et al., 2020). In addition, a quarantine was introduced for visits to public places and movements in general. This was necessary to minimize the likelihood of healthy people coming into contact with infected people. Despite various measures to protect against the spread of cholera today, it still takes place in some countries. Cholera is now quite widespread in developing countries — in Africa and Southeast Asia, primarily due to defects in water supply and the population’s sanitary and hygienic living conditions.
In conclusion, cholera is an acute infectious disease characterized by copious diarrhea and vomiting. One of the doctors who studied cholera was John Snow, who also discovered that cholera is transmitted through water sources. Various measures have been taken to prevent the spread of the disease, such as quarantine and thorough sanitary treatment of premises. Nevertheless, it exists to this day and is especially common in countries where hygienic living conditions are at a low level.
References
Deen, J., Mengel, M., & Clemens, J. (2020). Epidemiology of cholera. Vaccine, 38(1), 31-40. Web.
Tulchinsky T. H. (2018). John Snow, cholera, the Broad Street Pump; Waterborne diseases then and now. Case Studies in Public Health, 1(1), 77–99. Web.