CHOLERA ALERT in Papua New Guinea

Introduction

Severe watery diarrhea with rapid dehydration in a person over 5 years of age is suspected cholera. Cholera is caused by a germ that spreads through the five Fs (fluids, floods, fingers, flies and feces). If appropriate actions are not taken quickly it can kill up to 30-50% people affected by it within a few hours or days. Affected people die due to rapid loss of fluids and minerals from the body. However, we can prevent and treat it easily.

Prevention

Follow the five Fs to prevent cholera and all other types of diarrhea:

1. Fluids (Wara) – Boil water for 15 minutes or use bleach like Dazzle to disinfect water (half lid of bleach in 2 liter water, for 30 minutes) - Please note, you must boil the water with half a lid of bleach for 30 minutes.. Store the boiled water in a clean container and do not dip cups or hands into the container.

2. Foods (Kaikai) – Eat properly cooked only, and avoid cooked food from open markets.

3. Fingers (Han) - Wash hands with soaps or ash (for at least 20 seconds) after visiting the toilet and before handling food.

4. Flies (Lang) - Cover and prevent flies from sitting on any food.

5. Feces (Pekpek) – Use pit latrines or cover the feces with sand or soil.

Treatment

Follow the steps to treat the cholera or any other diarrhea:

1. ORS (Oral Rehydration Salts): Boil water for 15 minutes. Allow it to cool down. Take one liter of this water. Add one packet of ORS powder to this water to make ORS solution.

2. IV Fluids: This may be required only for severely dehydrated patients (i.e. patients with very dry mouth , very sunken eyes, very weak, unconscious)

3. Antibiotics: Health workers would give doxycycline to adult cases of cholera (300mg, single dose) to reduce duration of disease. In children and adults, health workers can also use tetracycline (12.5mg /kg qid x 3 days).

4. Continue breast feeding in children and give food as soon as the patient is able to eat.

• Visit your nearest ORS depot for ORS packets. If possible store one packet per person for emergency in every village (e.g. with village councilor, church pastor).

• In case ORS is unavailable, use any home-based fluid to rehydrate patient while seeking health care (e.g. rice-water with little salt, coconut water, salt-sugar-water solution)

WEI BILONG DAUNIM SIK CHOLERA (WAYS TO PREVENT CHOLERA)

IGAT FAIVPELA WEI O ROT YU MAS BIHAINIM LONG DAUNIM SIK CHOLERA.
Dispela ol faivpela wei yu mas bihainim nau, bilong wanem sik cholera inau wok long kamap bikpela.

1. WARA - (WATER)

Boilim wara bilong drink inap long 15 pela minis. Putim dispela wara long klinpela konteina. Noken putim kap samtin I doti o han igo insait long dispela konteina. Na drink bihain taim wara ikol. Igat narapela wei tu bilong kilim binatang nogut o gem. Em long putim bleach olsem Dazzle long wara bilong drink.

Kapsaitim liklik bleach igo long lid o ai bilong bleach konteina inap em kamap hap we. Bihain kapsaitim dispela bleach istap long lid igo long wara bilong drink. Dispela wara yu mas skelim inap long tupela lita olgeta (olsem tupela bilong 1lita Coca-cola konteina). Larim wara istap olsem ½ aua o 30 minis bihain long yu drink.

2. KAIKAI - (FOOD)

Yu mas kaikaim yu yet o famili ikukim long haus, na ol kaikai imas tan gut.

3. HAN - (HANDS)

Kisim taim olsem 20 sekons long wasim gut han wantaim sop na wara. Sapos nogat sop, yusim waitpela sit bilong paia long rabim han na wasim wantaim wara. Pasin bilong wasim han yu yum as bihainim taim yu yusim pinis toilet o bipo long yu holim kaikai.

4. LANG – (FLIES)

Karamapim gut ol kaikai. Dispela istopim lang long sindaun antap long kaikai.

5.PEKPEK – (FECES)

Yusim stret haus toilet long pekpek. Toilet imas igat lid long maus bilong hul. Karamapim pekpek istap nambaut wantaim waitsan o graun. Tu, digim hol na karamapim bihain yu pekpek.

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