If you suspect someone in your household has cholera 🏥

  • Seek medical care. Take them to the nearest cholera treatment centre or health care facility as fast as possible.
  • Take care of yourself while caring for someone with cholera by washing your hands well after each time you have contact with them.
  • Prevent the person who is unwell from getting dehydrated. Give them oral rehydration solution (available from health workers, shops or can be made at home mixing 1 litre water with 6 teaspoons sugar and half a teaspoon of salt) or other fluids (soup, juice, soda, coconut milk etc.).
  • If you don’t have oral rehydration salt sachets, you can make the same solution by mixing: Half teaspoon of salt, Six teaspoons of sugar, One litre of safe drinking-water or lightly salted rice water. If you don’t have access to sachets or sugar and salt for the home-made solution, the most important thing is to keep the patient drinking anything and to seek care fast.
  • You need to help them replace the fluid they are losing; encourage them to keep drinking even if they can’t keep it down.
  • You should seek help immediately if the person is unable to take enough fluids due to vomiting, or if the diarrhoea is severe. Other reasons for emergency care are: confusion or drowsiness; muscle cramps; weakness (unable to sit up by themselves); dizziness.
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