Cholera Deaths Essay

Submitted By adubpapers
Words: 1213
Pages: 5
Open Document
The Fight against Cholera: An Unconscionable Tragedy

The Fight Against Cholera: An Unconscionable Tragedy Imagine that while vacationing on the beautiful continents of Africa or India; you began to feel sick, experiencing a rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure, extreme thirst, cramping, irritability, vomiting and uncontrollable diarrhea. Of course these symptoms would naturally put a damper on the excitement of traveling in foreign country and perhaps they could even ruin your vacation. But what if you realized that also within hours there was possibility that you could die. That is the experience of cholera, a diarrheal disease that affects more than 3 million people worldwide every year, with 100,000-120,000 cases actually ending in death. (World Health Organization, 2013). From presidents, to kings, to musical composers, artists and scientists to even the most common man, the mortality of cholera is real and has been a fierce presence over time. Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by the intake of water or food that has been contaminated by the bacterium, vibrio cholerae, which affects people of all ages. Many infected, about 75%, may experience no symptoms at all. Some may experience mild symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, or leg cramps over the course of 7-14 days. And about 20% experience severe and immediate symptoms such as rapid loss of body fluids, dehydration, shock, and could face without treatment even death. Cholera is a disease that can spread quickly in areas and regions that have inadequate sewage, sanitation, or improper hygiene. Many underdeveloped countries have endured an epidemic of cholera that begins by the feces of an infected person contaminating that area’s main food and/or water source. The bacterium vibrio cholera is also found in brackish rivers and coastal waters where other sources such as where raw or undercooked shellfish can be found. Raw and undercooked shellfish are also the most common way for people in countries such as the United States to contract this disease. Outbreaks and epidemics of cholera occurred throughout the 1800’s in different regions of the world that include Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Mediterranean, and India. Due to the number of people affected and enormous number of deaths caused by cholera, it was recognized as a major pandemic, the first of several to affect Asia and Europe during the 1800 and 1900’s. During that time, it was commonplace for water supplies to be the dumping graves for contaminated water, especially in Europe. Contamination quickly spread affecting far reaching regions such as Russia and China. It is also believed that French travelers brought disease to North America causing occurrences throughout Canada and the United States. John Snow, an English physician and considered father of Epidemiology discovered that the widespread and deadly illness was actually the result of a commonly used and contaminated water supply. His discovery led to new inventions and systems to eliminate waste and contamination. By the 20th century there were at least seven reported cholera pandemics that affected millions in Asia, Europe, South America and Africa. More recently, countries as close as Haiti have been battling an eruption of cholera for years. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that as of 2013 nearly 8,000 Haitians have died from cholera and thousands more hospitalized. (Centers for Disease Control, 2013). The disease has spread to neighboring countries like Cuba and Dominican Republic. This modern cholera outbreak has been blamed on the lack of access to clean water and available healthcare, crowded living conditions and poor sanitation, all occurring particularly after a major earthquake hit Haiti in 2010. The United States and other world leaders have contributed to the fight against the epidemic in Haiti and to decrease the chance of another
Show More

Related Documents: Cholera Deaths Essay

Typhoid Mary Essay

Cholera-Past and Present “Of all pestilences cholera is perhaps the most awe inspiring: it may run so rapid a course that a man in good health at day break may be dead and buried ere nightfall.” (Marsden, 1992) This quote by P D Marsden gives a brief sense of just how serious the disease cholera can be. Cholera was a disease that ravished cities in the 19th century and is “still one of the most feared epidemic diseases today.” (Estrada-García & Mintz, 1996) Cholera is caused by the Vibrio cholerae…

Words 1877 - Pages 8

Cholera: Oral Rehydration Therapy and Important Prevention Method Essay

Biology 20 October 2014 Cholera First off, cholera is an infection of the small intestine cause by bacterium vibrio cholera. There are two main symptoms of this disease which include diarrhea and vomiting, which lead to dehydration and skin color change to grayish blue; blue death is the nickname given to this disease because of the change in skin color. There are very obvious signs and symptoms that may leave someone to believe they have cholera, although getting cholera is not easy, it is still…

Words 488 - Pages 2

Cholera: Cholera and Cholera Strike People Essay

Cholera is a potentially deadly disease caused by bacterial infection in the small intestine. It can often be identified through its predominant symptoms of heavy diarrhea and vomiting. Causes, preventive measures and treatment vary and will be covered in detail in this paper. The goal of this paper is to give a comprehensive overall understanding of this disease, which affects 3-5 million people every year, including over 100,000 deaths annually. In the second half of this paper, I will go more…

Words 2160 - Pages 9

Cholera Dissertation Essay

Cholera (Vibrio cholera) By Melinda Smith Environmental Biology Spring 2013 Introduction The infectious bacterium cholera is responsible for over 100,000 deaths each year. (CDS) Third world regions and areas with limited water management are the major targets of this disease. It is a water-borne bacterium of the intestine that causes severe diarrhea, vomiting, and eventually if unable to treat, can cause death from severe dehydration in hours. (CDS) Due to our modern water and sewage sanitation…

Words 1547 - Pages 7

Vibrio Cholelera Research Papers

Vibrio cholerae is a bacteria that causes Cholera, a diarrhea related illness that affects the intestinal cells. Typically, there are little to no symptoms. However, there are extreme cases that can lead to severe symptoms and even death. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, vomiting, loss of skin elasticity, dry mucous membranes, low blood pressure, renal failure, severe electrolyte imbalances and coma. Severe and untreated cases can lead to shock and death within a couple of hours (Centers for Disease…

Words 1058 - Pages 5

Dbq Cholelera In The 19th Century

Cholera, a disease that spreads easily through water, was responsible for numerous outbreaks in the country. This is a disease that causes severe vomiting and diarrhea which leads to extreme dehydration and later death (Source 5). It spreads easily because its bacteria lives freely in plankton and bacteria and therefore is easy to contract when coming in contact…

Words 803 - Pages 4

Essay about Blue Death Questions

did the humoral model of disease propose as the cause for cholera? The humoral model of disease said that disease was caused by an imbalance in one or more of four "humors" or fluids in the body: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. Physicians would decide on a treatment based on what they thought was the cause of the…

Words 1676 - Pages 7

Essay on Project 1 Water Borne Diseases Help

can be the source of foodborne disease through consumption of the same microorganisms. According to the World Health Organization, diarrheal disease accounts for an estimated 4.1% of the total DALY global burden of disease and is responsible for the deaths of 1.8 million people every year. It was estimated that 88% of that burden is attributable to unsafe water supply, sanitation and hygiene, and is mostly concentrated in children in developing countries. Amebiasis Amebiasis typically occurs in areas…

Words 990 - Pages 4

The Ghost Map Analysis

Bagenda and Philippa Musoke-Mudido, and an article by the World Health Organization called Cholera: prevention and control. The synthesis method will be used to discuss a topic called Cholera and how to prevent and control this deadly disease. The following three works all demonstrate prevention and control of a disease. “Cholera is an acute enteric infection caused by the ingestion of bacterium vibrio cholera present in faecally contaminated water or food. Primarily linked to insufficient access to…

Words 1281 - Pages 6

Dbq Cholera Research Paper

In the 19th century, there were many cholera outbreaks. People were scared they were going to somehow catch the disease. People were scared because of the outbreak in New York. Soon, people learned how to prevent the disease and it isn't as common anymore.. Cholera was a serious disease that plagued many regions in the world such as in Europe, North America, and most of Asia in the 1800s. For much of the 1800s, scientists thought that cholera came from exposure to contaminated things in general…

Words 905 - Pages 4