Cholera outbreak is claiming lives - Dr Nipunie Rajapakse

The cholera outbreak in worn-torn Yemen has claimed more than 1,300 lives, according to the World Health Organization and UNICEF. The two organizations have issued a joint statement saying, "We are now facing the worst cholera outbreak in the world."
Cholera is an infectious diseases usually spread through food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae., and can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water.
Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic pediatric infectious diseases specialist, says, "It is possible to get the infection and have only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. However, 5-10% of people who are infected will develop severe symptoms which can include profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration and shock." Approximately half the people with cholera die. With treatment, the number of fatalities drops to less than 1 percent. Severely dehydrated people may also need intravenous fluids.
Dr. Rajapakse says, "Cholera is very rare in the United States and cases here are usually in travelers who acquired it elsewhere. However, outbreaks continue occur in areas of the world that do not have reliable access to safe water, sanitation and other measures in place to prevent the spread of infections like this."
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