⁦prevention cholera treatment⁩

Treating Cholera

WHAT TO KNOW

• Cholera can cause dehydration, which can lead to death in just a few hours.
• Rehydration therapy, which includes oral rehydration solution (ORS), is the most important treatment for cholera.
• If you think you or a family member might have cholera, start drinking ORS and get medical attention immediately

Treatment options

Oral Rehydration Therapy

The most important treatment for cholera is rehydration therapy to replace fluids lost through diarrhea and vomiting. Rehydration therapy can include ORS, intravenous fluids, and electrolytes. With timely rehydration therapy, more than 99% of cholera patients survive.

ORS

Many people can be completely rehydrated by drinking ORS, which is made with a prepackaged powder of salts and minerals and mixed with water that has been boiled or treated.

ORS powder is available in many pharmacies and stores. During cholera outbreaks, governments and nongovernmental agencies often distribute ORS powder.

Other fluids

If you don't have ORS, you can drink safe water, broth, or other fluids. Do not drink fluids with a high sugar content like juice, soft drinks, or sports drinks. Sugary drinks can make diarrhea worse.

Babies with watery diarrhea should continue to be fed breast milk or formula to help them stay hydrated.

Antibiotics

In addition to rehydration therapy, antibiotics may be recommended for severely ill patients and others depending on their symptoms and medical conditions. Antibiotics can help decrease how long someone is sick. However, antibiotics should be used along with aggressive rehydration.

Zinc supplementation for children

When available, children ages 6 months to 5 years with suspected cholera should be started on zinc supplementation immediately.

Early symptoms

People with cholera often will have mild symptoms, or no symptoms at all, and get better on their own. About 1 in 10 people will develop severe symptoms that can be life-threatening.

Early symptoms of cholera include:

• Watery diarrhea, sometimes described as "rice-water stools" because they are milky white
• Vomiting
• Leg cramps
• Restlessness or irritability

Symptoms usually appear 2-3 days after someone drinks or eats something containing cholera bacteria. Symptoms can show up within a few hours or up to 5 days.