Difference between revisions of "Cholera"
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| − | '''Cholera''' is a [[diarrhea]]l [[disease]] caused by intestinal infection with the [[bacterium]] ''Vibrio cholerae''. The infection is often | + | '''Cholera''' is a [[diarrhea]]l [[disease]] caused by intestinal infection with the [[bacterium]] ''Vibrio cholerae''. The infection is often [[symptom|asymptomatic]], but can be quite severe. Approximately one in twenty infected patients exhibit profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these persons, rapid loss of body fluids leads to [[dehydration]] and hypovolemic shock. Without treatment, death can occur quickly. <ref name="cdc">[http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/cholera_gi.html Centers for Disease Control]</ref> |
| − | Although cholera is | + | Although cholera is rare throughout the developed world, it is [[endemic]] in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]] and other underdeveloped areas, and a common cause of [[mortality]] and [[morbidity]]. <ref name="cdc" /> |
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 13:07, February 15, 2010
Cholera is a diarrheal disease caused by intestinal infection with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The infection is often asymptomatic, but can be quite severe. Approximately one in twenty infected patients exhibit profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these persons, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and hypovolemic shock. Without treatment, death can occur quickly. [1]
Although cholera is rare throughout the developed world, it is endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa and other underdeveloped areas, and a common cause of mortality and morbidity. [1]