First recorded evidence of cholera epidemics goes back to 16 century AD in a medical report from Asia. But disease probably has been common since ancient time. Populations all over the world have sporadically been affected by devastating outbreaks of cholera, and single bacterial type has been responsible for each of the seven recorded cholera pandemics. In the nineteenth century cholera spread from Asia to other parts of the world, producing pandemic in Europe, which was recorded in 1817.
During the 1990s, over 1 million cholera cases have been reported from Latin America, 2000 from Ukraine and the Russian Republic during 1994 alone. Of the 208,755 cases of cholera (5034 fatal) officially reported to the World Health Organization in 1995,3 41.1% were from Latin America, 34.0% from Africa, 24.4% from Asia, and 0.5% from Europe and Oceania. Interest in Abkhazia (breakaway province of Georgia) stems from the popularity of tourism, that takes place illegally and the possible spread of disease in neighboring areas, such is Sochi, host of Winter Olympics 2014 (*Sochi is located 20 miles away from the Abkhazia). Poor surveillance and fear of international stigmatization and sanctions lead to underreporting of official numbers by Abkhazian self-proclaimed government. Nobody can estimated numbers of cases per year in Abkhazia. Increasing spread of cholera may reflect a lack of international quarantine enforcement by Abkhazia, which also has inadequate sanitary regulations and primitive water supplies. Many illegal tourists returns with the infection to Russia from Abkhazia, which officially claims to have no cholera.
Cholera is an infection caused by the bacteria Vibrio cholerae. People become infected by drinking water or eating food contaminated by the bacteria, poor sanitation as well as personal and domestic hygiene practices. The bacteria present in faeces of an infected person are the main source of contamination and the principal site affected is the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms include acute profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, fall of blood pressure, cramps in legs and abdomen, subnormal temperature, and complete collapse. Death may occur within 24 hours of onset unless prompt medical treatment is given to the patient.
Healthy carriers of V. Cholerae may vary from 1.9 to 9.0%. These symptomless carriers excrete vibrios intermittently with the duration of pathogen discharge being relatively short, averaging 6 to 15 days with a maximum period between 30 to 40 days. Chronic convalescent carriers have been observed to shed vibrios intermittently for periods of 4 to 15 months. Survival of vibrios in the aquatic environment relates sharply to various chemical, biological and physical characteristics of a given stream or estuarine water. The viability of V. cholerae in surface waters has been observed to vary from 1h to 13 days. Although cholera vibrios may persist for only a short time in grossly polluted aquatic environment, faecal contamination from victims of epidemics and the carriers may continue to reinforce their population in water. Cholera occurs in epidemic form when there is adequate sanitation and access to clean drinking water, poor hygiene, and lack of safe food preparation and handling. Unstable political and environmental conditions in Abkhazia caused by breakdown of infrastructure are very important risk factors. Adequate water supply and sanitation are basic requirements for life. Access to clean water and improved sanitation facilities is a fundamental human right. Yet, in Abkhazia (breakaway province of Georgia), water source quality shows continued deterioration and in many cases depleted. These effects are a function of increasing tourism pressure, agricultural misuse and the inability to keep pace with the increasing demands on the resource. Reported numbers underestimate incidence of water supply and sanitation related diseases, particularly the low endemic diseases that are widespread in Abkhazia. A better understanding of the socio-economic, environmental and public health consequences of water supply and sanitation related diseases obtainable through better monitoring surveillance systems, may help the public and policy makers understand the value of microbiologically safe water as well as improved sanitation facilities.
AISER reminds that tourism in Abkhazia takes place illegally. Medical science has long been frustrated in its search for an effective vaccine.
Cholera is an infection caused by the bacteria Vibrio cholerae. People become infected by drinking water or eating food contaminated by the bacteria, poor sanitation as well as personal and domestic hygiene practices. The bacteria present in faeces of an infected person are the main source of contamination and the principal site affected is the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms include acute profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, fall of blood pressure, cramps in legs and abdomen, subnormal temperature, and complete collapse. Death may occur within 24 hours of onset unless prompt medical treatment is given to the patient.
Healthy carriers of V. Cholerae may vary from 1.9 to 9.0%. These symptomless carriers excrete vibrios intermittently with the duration of pathogen discharge being relatively short, averaging 6 to 15 days with a maximum period between 30 to 40 days. Chronic convalescent carriers have been observed to shed vibrios intermittently for periods of 4 to 15 months. Survival of vibrios in the aquatic environment relates sharply to various chemical, biological and physical characteristics of a given stream or estuarine water. The viability of V. cholerae in surface waters has been observed to vary from 1h to 13 days. Although cholera vibrios may persist for only a short time in grossly polluted aquatic environment, faecal contamination from victims of epidemics and the carriers may continue to reinforce their population in water. Cholera occurs in epidemic form when there is adequate sanitation and access to clean drinking water, poor hygiene, and lack of safe food preparation and handling. Unstable political and environmental conditions in Abkhazia caused by breakdown of infrastructure are very important risk factors. Adequate water supply and sanitation are basic requirements for life. Access to clean water and improved sanitation facilities is a fundamental human right. Yet, in Abkhazia (breakaway province of Georgia), water source quality shows continued deterioration and in many cases depleted. These effects are a function of increasing tourism pressure, agricultural misuse and the inability to keep pace with the increasing demands on the resource. Reported numbers underestimate incidence of water supply and sanitation related diseases, particularly the low endemic diseases that are widespread in Abkhazia. A better understanding of the socio-economic, environmental and public health consequences of water supply and sanitation related diseases obtainable through better monitoring surveillance systems, may help the public and policy makers understand the value of microbiologically safe water as well as improved sanitation facilities.
AISER reminds that tourism in Abkhazia takes place illegally. Medical science has long been frustrated in its search for an effective vaccine.
