Cholera in South
Africa
Cholera is a bacterial infection in the small intestines caused by
poor sanitation in water and food sources. It is common in Africa, Asia,
Mexico, India, South and Central America because of water and food resources
that are infected with the bacteria “Vibrio Cholerae”. Cholera causes
dehydration and server diarrhea. A person can die from the dehydration caused
by cholera however if they get fluids most people make a full recovery.
In
South Africa the reports of Cholera are increasing at a concerning rate. Dr. Anthony
Facuia who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases is warning that we should keep an eye on the epidemic. “Latest figures
show 63 people have died since August and 475 new cases have been reported in
the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 16,569, according to Reuter’s
news reports”. Dr. Facuia also said that they have seen epidemics that were
much worse; however they do need to be aware of this one in South Africa. He
also stated that the South African government is doing well at containing the
outbreaks however more work is needed to keep the numbers from growing.
Cholera
is being reported in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, and
Swaziland and is continuing to spread to more areas where sanitation is poor.
The World Health Organization is doing all it can to stop the spread of this
disease.
This is
a major social issue in my opinion because so many people are being affected
and are losing their lives because of it. It’s sad because they don’t have
anywhere else to go and get water or food so they have to eat and drink what’s available
or they’ll die, but at the same time if they do eat or drink they’re taking a
huge risk that they’ll contract cholera and die of dehydration. It’s horrible
situation for all who are affected.
08/31/12
Good summary. Your analysis could be stronger. You wrote about why is a global issue, but try to leave your opinion out of the analysis. Otherwise, good work
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