Extreme hygiene recommended to avoid cholera

Increased hand washing, as done with the covid-19 pandemic, and avoiding food consumption in public places are just some of the measures recommended by experts to prevent the spread of cholera.

Authorities insist on the need for the population to avoid contact with anyone who may eventually become contaminated.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease transmitted through food and water contaminated with Vibrio Cholerae bacteria. Most cases develop mild dehydration, but 20 percent develop moderate to severe dehydration, and people die from dehydration.

The country faces an epidemiological alert in which the population is asked to consume well-cooked food and beverages prepared with drinking water.

The impact of cholera
Cholera causes severe diarrhea and dehydration. If left untreated, cholera can be fatal within hours, even in previously healthy people.

Modern water and sewage treatment have virtually eliminated cholera in industrialized countries, but it exists in Africa and nations such as Haiti. The risk of a cholera epidemic is greatest when poverty, war, or natural disasters force people to live in crowded conditions without adequate hygiene.

Cholera is easily treated; severity and extreme dehydration can be prevented with a simple rehydration solution.

Country on alert
From the moment a case became known in the country, a health alert and a cordon were placed around people close to the infected patient.

Cholera has been on the island since 2010. The greatest impact and number of deaths were in Haiti.

The first case of cholera in the Dominican Republic was confirmed on November 15, 2010. In two years, there were almost 28 thousand cases and more than 400 deaths in the DR. In Haiti, it is estimated that 820,000 people were affected, and the number of deaths was 9,792.