Cholera in Somalia: Resources Determine Strategy

Cholera in Somalia

Cholera Background Information

Vibrio cholerae (cholera) is a Gram-negative bacterium that threatens human health when water and food supplies become contaminated (Weil, Ivers, and Harris, 2012). Its emergence occurs most often in crowded and unsanitary conditions and on average kills approximately 50% of those who develop symptoms and never receive treatment. Death occurs because a toxin secreted by the bacterium is endocytosed by epithelial cells in the small intestine, leading to unregulated cAMP production and chloride secretion into the lumen. The increasing chloride concentration in the lumen forces the body to secrete large amounts of water, potassium, sodium, and bicarbonate, leading to severe dehydration. The amount of fluid lost can reach 1 liter per hour in adults and if not compensated for, death follows in just hours.

The presumed ancestral home of cholera is the Ganges River Delta region, which is...
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