Cholera in Dominican Republic

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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it is important to remember one thing: cholera is a dangerous disease but no deadly. sufficient hydration and some antibiotics to control diarrea is all that it takes in a vast majority of cases.
 

Olly

Bronze
Mar 12, 2007
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dv8

Any idea what antibiotics? And how do you make a re-hydration liquid ?

olly
 

woofsback

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Dec 20, 2009
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curious...
since diahria seems to be a major issue with this disease

wouldn't bottled or boiled water for the dehdration
and Immodium to stop the diahria be a good idea?

if it would work i'm sure organizations would be willing to donate to raise funds for the supply

of course i'm not a doctor or scientists
just figured it might be something to work with instead of doing nothing
 

Linda Stapleton

Well-known member
Jun 3, 2003
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I have heard several versions of this rehydration formula, with only the quantity of sugar varying, but this seems to be the best average: 7:1:1
7 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 litre of clean water

As Lindsay, who provided this to me, pointed out, getting drinking water in Haiti can involve going to the river, lighting a fire and boiling the water.

The key thing is to carry on drinking the solution even if it is coming out the other end at the same rate. You must continue to replace all the lost fluids.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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dv8
Any idea what antibiotics? And how do you make a re-hydration liquid ?
olly

here is a link to oral rehydration therapy - home made solutions:
Oral Rehydration Solutions ORS Made at Home - Rehydration Project
the instrucions can be dowloaded in creole and english.

antibiotics used to fight cholera:
doxiciclina, tetraciclina, eritromicina, trime-sulfa (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole). all available in pharmacies over the counter at the variety of prices.

for infants the best rehydration is breast milk, apparently.

do not take anything without consulting the doctor.

simple saline solution (at about 65 pesos per bottle) is used for IV. also available, also over the counter.
 

mountainannie

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Dec 11, 2003
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elizabetheames.blogspot.com

gringostudent

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Jun 20, 2005
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el colera

there were 3 suspected cases in the hospital I work in in romana as of yesterday. The Doctors that know whats going on there are taking it very seriously. If anybody knows anybody in haiti with symptoms but no access to medical care tell them to hydrate with coconut water with table salt in it, until they can get treatment.
 

margaret

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Aug 9, 2006
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Global Reporting System for Emerging Infectious Diseases

Here's a useful link if you're interested in the spread of cholera or other infectious diseases into the DR.

International Society of Infectious Diseases
Main ProMED-mail
 

golfsleft46

New member
Dec 11, 2010
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Cholera Not A Threat To Tourists to the Dominican Republic

I`ve been reading a lot on the Cholera cases in the DR and found so many medical sources stating that THERE`S NO DANGER TO TRAVELERS. Makes sense because travelers never visit the poorest neighborhoods where sanitary conditions are low. Here I will add some notes:
"Most travellers are at low risk":
Cholera in Dominican Republic: Cholera Outbreak; Travel Health Division, Public Health Agency of Canada

"The alarm that is spreading in the Dominican Republic may affect those tourism numbers, but from a public health perspective, really shouldn't."
Cholera strikes fear in Dominican Republic, tourists reassured - CNN

As you can see in those two articles, it seems other competing destinations are creating a false vision of danger, when the truth is that hotels are safe, and pretty much the rest of the island ( except the poorest spots ).

I wonder why the DR don`t have a media task force monitoring the other islands, they`d find a lot of countermeasures to publish ;)
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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@ golfsleft46: The reason there's no threat to travelers has nothing to do with whether they visit poor neighborhoods or not, but that to date only 35 people have been infected with Cholera in the DR.

Let's see, 35 people out of 10 million = for all practical purposes, 0% of population.

Not just tourists, but everyone has a much greater chance of catching the common cold than cholera in the DR.

Now, in Haiti it's a different story. First, because the conditions are different over there and it is a different country with its own unique recent history (hence, the different conditions).

While in the DR 35 people have been infected and ZERO have died, in Haiti deaths are mounting now in the thousands, with more being infected everyday.

As much as some people try, it still remains clear that the DR is the DR and Haiti is Haiti. Two neighboring countries that have more differences than similarities, and this shows in everything, this cholera epidemic being one of them.

In any single resort there are easily way more than 35 employees, add to that all the Dominican and foreigners a tourist passes by, meets, talks to, etc while on vacation. In a country where only 35 people are infected and there's an aggressive campaign to stop it from spreading; you have a better chance of catching the common cold than cholera.

And, catching the common cold is rather rare, since most tourists leave as they arrived. Well, maybe with a bit more weight and a tan, but that's all.

So folks, accept reality. They are two different countries with two different realities. No need to ignore the obvious fact to fulfill some wishful thinking.