Update 21/4/18: Holy shit why do I even write all these in the past? Also, probably copied from some websites, IDK. I don’t remember anymore.
Common diseases after disaster
Cholera:
Cholera is an infection in the small intestine of a human caused by bacteria. Its main symptoms are watery diarrhoea and vomiting clear fluid. It is usually spread by drinking water or eating food that have been contaminated by the faeces of an infected person, thus it is a common disease after a disaster.
A victim of cholera that did not get treated can produce 10 to 20 litre of diarrhoea a day that can be fatal to the victim. The victim’s skin can turn blue or grey due to the extreme loss of fluid in the body. The diarrhoea can cause dehydration in the victim. Symptoms of dehydration are low blood pressure, poor skin condition, sunken eyes and rapid pulse.
About 100 million bacteria have to be ingested to cause cholera in a healthy adult, while lesser in elderly, or adults with gastric. Children are also more prone to cholera, with two to four years old having the highest rate of infection. Blood type also determine if a person will get cholera easier than the rest, with O type blood being the most susceptible. People with lowered immunity such as people with AIDS, malnourished children, are more likely to experience severe symptoms and will be more fatal.
When the bacteria is consumed, most could not survive the acidic condition in our stomach and will thus die. Those that survive will reach the small intestine and get to the intestinal walls which have the conditions for them to thrive. Once they reach the intestinal wall, the bacteria will produce toxic proteins that give the infected victim a watery diarrhoea.
Cholera is an easily treatable disease. By administration of oral dehydration salts to replace lost fluids will almost always result in cure. However in severe case, intravenous administration of fluids may be required to save the patient’s life.
However, if untreated, cholera can also kill the victim quickly. This is usually due to the lack of fluid in the victim’s body.
To prevent cholera after a disaster, residents in disaster prone area should get a vaccine for cholera. Also, they should make sure that there are proper sanitation so that the disease will not be transmitted easily.
*After the 2010 earthquake there is an outbreak of cholera in Haiti.
Cat Scratch disease: Also known as cat scratch fever, it is a benign infectious disease. It usually affects the children after a scratch or bite from a cat within one or two weeks. It was discovered in 1889 by Henri Parinaud.
Classic cat scratch disease will appear as tender and swollen regional lymph nodes(oval shaped organ of the immune system). Some patients will have fever and other symptoms while others do not. Other symptoms are headache, chills, backache and abdominal pain. It can take anytime from 7 to 2 months for the symptoms to appear. Many cases are not severe, but lymphadenopathy might continue for a few months even after the symptoms are gone. This disease usually occurs in autumn and winter.
Atypical cat scratch disease takes different forms depending on which organ systems are involved.
Kittens are more likely to carry the bacteria in their blood hence they are more likely to transmit the disease more than adult cats. Fleas also increase the chance of transmitting the disease. The reason why it is a common disease after disaster is because stray cats roam areas the refugees lives and there are fleas in the refugees camps*.
However, most healthy people can clear the infection without treatment at all. Some antibiotics have also been prescribed but have unclear benefits.
Best way to prevent this is to stay out of reach from the cats.
Lyme Disease: This is an infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria. It is a common tick-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere. Bacteria are transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks. Some symptoms are fever, headache, fatigue, depression and skin rashes that looks like bull eye. If this is not treated, symptoms that involve joints, heart, and nervous system will occur. In most case it can be treated with antibiotics, especially in early cases. Delayed treatment can be serious which is difficult to treat.
To prevent this happening after disaster the best way is probably to kill all the ticks around?
