Cholera patients should be evaluated and treated quickly. The following materials cover a new global initiative for cholera prevention and control, as well as the basics of cholera and other diarrheal disease prevention. Only a small proportion, about 5-10%, of persons infected with Vibrio cholerae O1 may have illness requiring treatment at a health center. Caregivers of those with cholera can infect themselves if they do not have access to effective hygiene. Last Updated on: June 20, 2020 by Isreal Olabanji DST RN. Continued Cholera Treatment and Prevention. Prevention of cholera is dependent on access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and basic hygiene needs. Cholera is a disease caused by bacteria that produce a watery diarrhea that can rapidly lead to dehydration. Both the CDC and the World Health Organization have specific guidelines for who should be given this vaccine. Through an NIH Merit Award, a team led by Alan Verkman, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, studied the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR), a chloride channel in the intestines that is activated during cholera infection. There is a vaccine for cholera. ; Cholera symptoms and signs include a rapid onset of copious, smelly diarrhea that resembles rice water and may lead to signs of dehydration (for example, vomiting, wrinkled skin, low blood pressure, dry mouth, rapid heart rate). They can infect others if the… In addition to ORT, NIAID-funded researchers have found at the cellular and molecular levels other promising avenues for cholera treatment. Share this article. People are infected with it by drinking or eating contaminated water or food sources. Cholera: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention. Cholera is caused by ingesting the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. These bacteria produce a potent enterotoxin that forces the intestines to excrete massive volumes of highly contagious fluid until the illness runs its course. Most persons infected with the cholera bacterium have mild diarrhea or no symptoms at all. 5 (225) In this article hide.