How to protect yourself against Cholera outbreak

ruby orimba

May 19, 2017 12:09 PM

Did you know you can use household bleach to clean your drinking water?

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Every year Cholera has taken over 100,000 lives with approximately 4 million cases occurring around the world. A water borne diarrheal illness caused by a bacterial infection of the intestines, cholera can be pandemic when there is an outbreak.

However, if precaution is taken the likelihood of getting infected is very low.

According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention the following should keep you and your family safe.

Drink only bottled, boiled, or chemically treated water and bottled or canned carbonated beverages. When using bottled drinks, make sure that the seal has not been broken.

To disinfect your own water: boil for 1 minute or filter the water and add 2 drops of household bleach or ½ an iodine tablet per liter of water.

Avoid tap water, fountain drinks, and ice cubes but beverages such as hot tea or coffee, wine, beer, carbonated water or soft drinks, and bottled or packaged fruit juices are usually safe to drink.

Wash your hands often with soap and clean water.

If no water and soap are available, use an alcohol-based hand cleaner (with at least 60% alcohol).

Clean your hands especially before you eat or prepare food and after using the bathroom.

Use bottled, boiled, or chemically treated water to wash dishes, brush your teeth, wash and prepare food, or make ice.

Eat foods that are packaged or that are freshly cooked and served hot.

Do not eat raw and undercooked meats and seafood or unpeeled fruits and vegetables. Avoid freshly blended juice from fruit vendors. Trust, you’re better off making it on your own.

Dispose of feces in a sanitary manner to prevent contamination of water and food sources.

Taking care of an infected person

Your first best option is to rush an infected person to hospital. If left untreated, cholera can be fatal in a matter of hours. Still, contacts of an infected person should be observed for 5 days from the date of the last exposure to the infected person. A contact is any person who has been close enough to an infected person to be at risk of having acquired the infection from that person.

ruby orimba