Mobile Health

Although signs and symptoms of severe cholera may be unmistakable in endemic areas, the only way to confirm a diagnosis is to identify the bacteria in a stool sample.

Rapid cholera dipstick tests are now available, enabling health care providers in remote areas to confirm diagnosis of cholera earlier. Quicker confirmation helps to decrease death rates at the start of cholera outbreaks and leads to earlier public health interventions for outbreak control.

Symptoms of cholera can begin as soon as a few hours or as long as five days after infection. Often, symptoms are mild. But sometimes they are very serious. About one in 20 people infected have severe watery diarrhea accompanied by vomiting, which can quickly lead to dehydration. Although many infected people may have minimal or no symptoms, they can still contribute to spread of the infection.

Signs and symptoms of dehydration include:

Rapid heart rateLoss of skin elasticity (the ability to return to original position quickly if pinched)Dry mucous membranes, including the inside of the mouth, throat, nose, and eyelidsLow blood pressureThirstMuscle cramps

If not treated, dehydration can lead to shock and death in a matter of hours.

The disease is most common in places with poor sanitation, crowding, war, and famine. It is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae.

Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera, is usually found in food or water contaminated by feces from a person with the infection. Common sources include:

Municipal water suppliesIce made from municipal waterFoods and drinks sold by street vendorsVegetables grown with water containing human wastesRaw or undercooked fish and seafood caught in waters polluted with sewage

When a person consumes the contaminated food or water, the bacteria release a toxin in the intestines that produces severe diarrhea.

It is not likely you will catch cholera just from casual contact with an infected person

Cholera is an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration and even death if untreated. It is also Intestinal bacterial disease characterized by profuse, watery and painless diarrhea, vomiting, rapid dehydration, acid, collapse, circulatory and renal failure. 80% of those infected are asymptomatic. Without treatment the lethality rate is 50%.

The best way to prevent contracting the flu is by getting vaccinated each year but good health habits like washing your hands often can help reduce the spread of the germs and prevent illnesses like the flu. There are also numerous flue antiviral drugs that can be taken to prevent the flu.

It will also be best to:

· Avoid close contact with people who are healthy to prevent them from getting sick as well.

· Stay home, get some sleep and take plenty of fluids.

· Taking antiviral drugs

There are several methods of treatment to practice when you first come down with the flu starting with three easy remedies;

Rest up: Rest is what will help give your body the energy it needs to fight the flu virus and flu symptoms, this means spending a lot of time in bed or on the couch especially during the first 24 hours after becoming ill.

Avoid contact with others: If you know you have the flu it would be best to stay at home and get some rest so as to avoid close contact with those that are healthy. Flu viruses commonly spread through airborne droplets created when an infected person sneezes or coughs. It is for this reason you are urged to cover your nose and mouth with a tissue, serviette or a handkerchief when you sneeze or cough

Cleanliness: Try and wash your hands as often as you can with soap and also disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs.

Stay hydrated: Drinking lots of liquids like water sports drinks or electrolyte beverages will help prevent dehydration and treat the flu. Especially hot liquids like broth and tea help relieve nasal congestion and soothe the uncomfortably inflamed membranes that line your nose and throat.

Other methods of treatment include taking anti-viral drugs, these are prescription medicines (pills, Liquid and inhaled nasal spray or an intravenous solution) that fight against the flu in your body. These anti-viral drugs should not be confused with antibiotics which help fight bacterial infections while here we are dealing with the flu virus.

The best way to prevent contracting the flu is by getting vaccinated each year but good health habits like washing your hands often can help reduce the spread of the germs and prevent illnesses like the flu. There are also numerous flue antiviral drugs that can be taken to prevent the flu.

It will also be best to:

· Avoid close contact with people who are healthy to prevent them from getting sick as well.

· Stay home, get some sleep and take plenty of fluids.

· Taking antiviral drugs

Diagnostic tests available for influenza include viral culture, serology, rapid antigen testing, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunofluorescence assays, and rapid molecular assays

The most common are called “rapid influenza diagnostic tests.” These tests can provide results in 30 minutes or less. Unfortunately, the ability of these tests to detect the flu can vary greatly. Therefore, you could still have the flu, even though your rapid test result is negative. In addition to rapid tests, there are several more accurate and sensitive flu tests available that must be performed in specialized laboratories, such as those found in hospitals or state public health laboratories. All of these tests require that a health care provider swipe the inside of your nose or the back of your throat with a swab and then send the swab for testing. These tests do not require a blood sample.

The sample should be taken for all those patients that fill the case definition, applying the sample selection criterion, to the first 10 cases and then 1 in 10, until the virus is confirmed. The technique of choice is Nasopharyngeal Swab or a nasopharyngeal aspirate of preference within the first 3 days of onset of symptoms.

Symptoms of the flu include fever, headache, fatigue, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, diarrhea and vomiting (more common among children than adults).

If you develop flu-like symptoms and are concerned about your illness, especially if you are at high risk for complications of the flu, you should consult your health care provider. Those at high risk for complications include people 65 years or older, people with chronic medical conditions, pregnant women, and young children.

In some occasions a person presents a sudden onset of fever higher than 38 degrees centigrade, cough or sore throat and absence of other causes.