KUCHING: The State Health Department is probing a possible cholera outbreak in Bintulu.
Its state director Dr Zulkifli Jantan told The Borneo Post that investigation teams fromthe department are still out in the field seeking to ascertain whether there is such an outbreak.
“The final figures are still pending. The investigating teams are still out. We will release information soonest,” he said when responding a public query yesterday.
According to Wikipedia cholera is an infection in the small intestine caused by the bacterium vibro cholerae.
The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhoea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking water or eating food that has been contaminated by the faeces of an infected person including one with apparent symptoms.
Severe diarrhoea and vomiting can lead to rapid dehydration and electrolyte imbalance and death in some cases.
The primary treatment is oral rehydration therapy, typically with oral rehydration solutions to replace the water and electrolytes lost from the body.
Antibacterial drugs intravenous fluids can also used if the former treatment does not provide any improvement on the infected person.