HEALTH professionals say there is no immediate cause for concern following confirmation that a resident on the New South Wales side of Sunraysia has contracted possibly the first case of cholera in the district.
The Far West Local Health District yesterday said it had not received any reports of the illness, however, it has been confirmed that a man aged in his 80s has tested positive to the organism Vibrio cholerae which is responsible for the illness.
Cholera is a diarrhoeal disease caused by eating contaminated water or food and is usually spread through drinking contaminated water, eating raw or under-cooked seafood from contaminated waters and eating other contaminated food.
It is understood the infected Sunraysia man consumed unboiled and unchlorinated roof water from a home water tank and which is a possible source of the infectious disease.
The water is currently being tested, however, a faeces test confirmed the presence of Vibrio cholerae.
It is also understood that the man ate some yabbies from the Anabranch, north of Wentworth, however they had been cooked.
Although the man’s illness is believed to be an isolated case, his wife has also undergone testing.
Health professionals were yesterday at a loss to explain how the disease turned up in the region and could not recall a case of cholera having been previously reported here.
A health spokesperson said cholera was “extraordinarily rare in this part of the world”.
It is understood that both Victorian health authorities and Wentworth Shire Council Department of Health have both been alerted and the man has been confined to the immediate area.
However, Far West Local Health District chief executive Stuart Riley said he had not been made aware of any cases of the reportable illness.
Laboratories and hospitals are required to notify cases of cholera to the local Public Health Unit under the Public Health Act, 1991.
Public Health Units investigate cases to identify possible sources of infection and to prevent spread.
Symptoms of cholera begin from a few hours to up to five days after infection and include sudden onset of severe, watery diarrhoea, sometimes with vomiting.
Mr Riley said cholera was “incredibly” uncommon in Australia.
In developing countries, up to 50 per cent of cases die from dehydration and kidney failure if not adequately re-hydrated.
Infection without symptoms or with only mild diarrhoea also occurs, particularly in children.
People diagnosed with cholera are encouraged to maintain good hygiene, wash hands with soap and running water for 10 seconds after using the toilet, and not prepare food for others.
Food-handlers should not attend work until cholera is no longer detected in stools.
People who have shared the same exposures as someone diagnosed with cholera (i.e. shared food or drink from the same source) should see a doctor and be tested.
Laboratory tests are required to identify the cholera bacteria from a faecal specimen, while specialist tests are needed to confirm that the bacteria carries the cholera toxin.
According to the NSW Department of Health, cholera can be treated with fluids and salts and patients are treated with oral re-hydration solution, a solution of sugar and salt water drunk in large amounts, however, severe cases may require intravenous fluid replacement.
With prompt re-hydration, fewer than one per cent of cholera patients die.
Antibiotics can shorten the course and reduce the severity of the illness, but they are not as important as re-hydration.
People who develop severe diarrhoea and vomiting in countries where cholera occurs should seek prompt medical attention.
About 100 million bacteria must typically be ingested to cause cholera in a normal healthy adult. Cildren are more susceptible with two to four-year-olds having the highest rates of infection.
Individuals’ susceptibility to cholera is also affected by their blood type, with those with type O blood being the most susceptible.
People with lower immunity or children who are malnourished are more likely to experience a severe case if they become infected, however even a healthy adult in middle age can experience a severe case and each particular person’s case should be measured by their loss of fluids in consultation with a doctor or other health worker.
This article appeared in Thursday’s Sunraysia Daily 09/02/2012.
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