Cholera Prevention and Control Quiz

Prevention & Control of Cholera

• Cholera mainly arises from inadequate sanitation and lack of access to clean water.
• Rapid urban growth in developing countries exacerbates cholera risks due to poor infrastructure and funding limitations for sewage and water supply projects.
• War and natural disasters disrupt sanitation infrastructure, leading to overcrowded temporary housing with inadequate sanitation.
• The practice of using raw sewage for crop irrigation increases cholera transmission risk.
• Prevention measures include:
  • Establishing sufficient sewage treatment facilities.
  • Providing chlorinated piped water to eliminate bacteria, as seen in developed nations.
  • Implementing vaccination programs in endemic regions.
• Control strategies involve:
  • Ensuring access to oral rehydration therapy, a mixture of glucose, salts, and water.
  • Monitoring by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
  • Using antibiotics for severe cases to mitigate antibiotic resistance.

Prevention & Control of Malaria

• Key strategies to combat malaria:
  • Decreasing Anopheles mosquito populations.
  • Minimizing human exposure to mosquito bites.
  • Administering preventative drugs against Plasmodium infections.
• Reducing mosquito numbers can be achieved by:
  • Spraying insecticides like DDT in living areas.
  • Applying oil on water surfaces to kill mosquito larvae.
  • Draining unnecessary water bodies and marshes.
  • Stocking ponds and ditches with fish that feed on larvae.
  • Treating water bodies with Bacillus thuringiensis, targeting larvae selectively.
• Complete elimination of breeding sites is challenging due to mosquitoes' adaptability.
• Prophylactic medications (e.g., chloroquine, mefloquine) face challenges like drug resistance and side effects.
• Effective personal protection includes sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets and minimizing skin exposure during peak mosquito activity (dusk).
• A WHO-led eradication effort in the 1950s successfully eliminated malaria from some regions but failed overall due to:
  • Resistance developed in Plasmodium to control drugs.
  • Anopheles resistance to certain insecticides.
• Ongoing malaria control actions by governments and WHO focus on:
  • Enhancing diagnosis within health systems.
  • Ensuring effective drug supply.
  • Utilizing drug combinations to combat resistance.
  • Promoting biological control methods and insecticide-treated bed nets.
• Innovations in malaria control include:
  • Rapid dipstick tests for quick diagnosis without laboratory requirements.
  • Full sequencing of the Plasmodium genome aids vaccine development.

Prevention & Control of Tuberculosis (TB)

• TB spreads through droplets from coughing or sneezing of infected individuals, containing Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
• Contact tracing is essential for controlling TB spread by screening and testing contacts for TB infection.
• Diagnosis of TB can take up to two weeks, emphasizing the need for timely detection.
• TB prevention is primarily through the BCG vaccine, the only vaccine available, which offers protection for 70-80% of its recipients.

Test your knowledge on the prevention and control of cholera, a disease exacerbated by poor sanitation and lack of clean water. This quiz covers the challenges faced in developing countries, especially in growing cities and humanitarian crises. Discover the key factors that contribute to cholera outbreaks and strategies to mitigate them.