Rural Implications for Pollutant Associated Diseases (Cholera)
The extremely transmissible disease cholera is contracted by consuming tainted food or water. This transmission is closely related to inadequate access to sanitation sites and clean water, which means that in rural communities who don’t have immediate access to such amenities are predisposed to diseases such as cholera. When left untreated, cholera can kill within hours and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are an estimated 1.3 to 4.0 million cases of cholera every year with 21,000 to 143,000 leading to death.
One way that WHO combats this issue is through an oral rehydration solution (ORS). WHO/UNICEF ORS successfully treats a majority of the people affected. The ORS standard sachet is dissolved in 1L of clean water and on the first day, adult patients with moderate dehydration may need up to 6 L. For the severe dehydration cases, patients become susceptible to shock and require a prompt injection of intravenous (IV) fluids. Additionally, these patients receive the proper medications to limit the amount of time that cholera excretes in their stool, decrease the amount of rehydration fluids necessary, and shorten the duration of the diarrhea that is associated with cholera. A cholera outbreak requires quick access to treatment. It’s essential that communities have access to oral rehydration, treatment centers with intravenous fluids, round the clock care, and specific oral rehydration points (ORPs). WHO claims that with these conditions met, with early and proper care, the fatality rate for cholera should remain below 1%.
In 2014, WHO launched the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC) to tackle this issue. The GTFCC is a network that includes more than 50 partners, including educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, and United Nations agencies, that are all involved in the global fight against cholera. WHO works to, through GTFCC, facilitate the development and implementation of international policies to support the growth of global capacity for cholera prevention and control; assist nations in achieving long-term cholera control or eradication through the development of National Cholera Plans (NCPs); and much more. One way in which the GTFCC strives to support countries in need is through the Country Support Platform established in 2020. This program offers the advocacy, coordination, and policy advice needed for nations to effectively design, finance, execute, and oversee their NCPs in accordance with the Global Roadmap, in addition to multi sectoral operational support. This Global Roadmap was launched by GTFCC partners in 2017 and is their strategy for controlling cholera. It aims to reduce cholera in up to 20 nations by 2030 and reduce cholera-related mortality by 90%. To do so, three aspects are highlighted in the Global Roadmap; detecting epidemics early and responding quickly to contain them; a focused multi sectoral strategy to stop the cholera epidemic from returning; and an efficient method of coordinating technical assistance, advocacy, resource mobilization, and collaboration on a local and international scale. Overall, WHO is making huge strides to ameliorate the issue of cholera, but this is still a prevailing issue that requires more action to be taken.
By Brianna Keaveny