How to treat Cholera at home with simple remedies

The basics of cholera have long been known - an acute diarrheal disease resulting from an infection with the bacteria Vibrio Cholerae.

And yet Cholera kills hundreds of people every year. In the past ten years alone, there have been outbreaks in Nigeria, Chad, Cameron Zimbabwe, India and Haiti.

Classical Signs and Symptoms of Cholera

Cholera has some tell tale, trade mark signs. There stool is always excessive, effortless and watery. It is referred to as rice water stool, because it soon comes to resemble water with a few little white to greyish bits floating around. With cholera there may be vomiting or painful cramps.

The transmission of cholera occurs when you eat or drink products contaminated with the cholera bacteria. While in the developed world, cholera is no longer common, cases abound in third world countries where its transmission is mostly through contaminated water sources.

Although Cholera gets a lot of attention after disasters, the disease occurs frequently all the time.

Make no mistake, Cholera must be treated at once to prevent death. The diarrhea is so frequent and draining, that patients have been known to die wihin four hours of a cholera attack. All and every attempt must be made to get the patient to a health center/hospital as soon as possible.

The major source of danger is severe dehydration. Fluids are lost so rapidly that the person goes into shock and dies.

Rehydration - replacing lost fluids is very important and must be started as soon as possible.

How to start rehydrating at home prior to getting to a hospital

The best way to ensure a good prospect is to start rehydrating the patient even as you go to the hospital. Here’s an idea of what to do

PLEASE NOTE - Once there are alerts about Cholera in your locality, ALL cases of diarrhea must be treated as cholera. This simply means that you start replacing fluids orally after a single loose stool. Don't wait until you are weak.

Simple Sugar Salt Solution (Oral Rehydration Therapy ORT)

You can prepare this at home. The ingredients can be found in any kitchen.

Into a liter of previously boiled and cooled water, add 1 teaspoon full of salt and 8 teaspoons or 8 cubes of sugar and stir.

Pour into a bottle and take with you as you go to the hospital. Drink or sip the mixture continuously, even if you vomit.

Commercial ORT Solutions

There are already prepared sachets of ORT which you need to stock up on. If you live in a cholera endemic area or have children below the age of five in you household, you should have some handy.

Simply follow the instructions for making up the solution. Drink often and as much as possible even if you don't like the taste.

Rice water

This is an effective way to rehydrate and replace lost electrolytes. Put a cup of rice in a pot with one teaspoon of salt and five cups of water. Boil it for 30 minutes, drain the water, bottle it and drink as much and as often as you can while on the way to the hospital.

In all cases, aim at drinking as much fluids as possible. Take a lot of water, but water alone is not enough as electrolytes and other substances are lost in the bouts of diarrhea.

The aim in any case is to get a lot of fluids into the cholera victim. In the absence of any of the above solution give a lot of water on the way to the hospital.