Chapter 14, Risk of Infectious and Communicable Diseases

Question Answered step-by-step Chapter 14, Risk of Infectious and Communicable Diseases Case Study… Chapter 14, Risk of Infectious and Communicable DiseasesCase Study # 1Cholera, a gastrointestinal infection caused by toxigenic bacterium Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1 or O139, can cause acute, severe, watery diarrhea, dehydration, and death. Known risk factors for cholera outbreaks include lack of access to safe drinking water, contaminated food, inadequate sanitation, and large numbers of refugees or internally displaced persons.The 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti following a severe earthquake and flooding underscored the vulnerability of populations due to poor sanitation, a strained public health infrastructure, and large numbers of displaced people. The earthquake in January 2010 damaged drinking water treatment facilities and piped water distribution systems throughout Haiti, and displaced an estimated 2.3 million people, with the flooding that occurred later in the year exacerbating the problems. As of mid-November 2010, the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) had reported 16,111 persons hospitalized with acute watery diarrhea and 992 cholera deaths. Several of those who became ill reported consuming untreated water from the river or canals, and most had practiced open defecation. For more information on the 2010 Haitian cholera outbreak, go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at: http://www.cdc.gov/haiticholera/ (Learning Objectives: 4, 5, 6)a.       Was the 2010 cholera outbreak that occurred in Haiti a common source outbreak or a propagated outbreak? What was the difference?b.       What was the main reservoir for the Vibrio cholerae organism? What conditions provided the reservoir?c.       How does this outbreak compare to the Broad Street pump cholera epidemic in London in 1854?   Health Science Science Nursing NRS NRS-410 Share QuestionEmailCopy link Comments (0)