In 2007 Carmen was serving as a medic in the Kirkuk Provence of Iraq. As part of

Question

In 2007 Carmen was serving as a medic in the Kirkuk Provence of Iraq. As part of her duties, she ran a clinic for the nearby towns. The war had caused severe damage to the area’s municipal water supply and sanitation facilities. Late summer of that year, a young man came to the clinic, very dehydrated with uncontrollable diarrhea producing almost a liter of ‘rice water’ stool per hour. Within the next week, 13 more people showed up at the clinic with the same symptoms. Although the patients were members of 5 different families, they all lived in the same part of the village, and all got their water from the same hand-dug well. Stool cultures showed curved, Gram negative rods.

1. What microorganism causes this disease?

2. What is your diagnosis, and what features of the case were critical to your diagnosis?

3. How is this disease transmitted?

4. How is the disease treated?

5. What symptoms might the patient develop if the disease is not treated?

6. What is the prognosis with treatment?

Explanation / Answer

1.      E. coli bacteria have caused this disease.

2.      Diarrhoea patient will be showing symptoms- Vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain and cramps, loose stool, blood in stool, fever etc. This will lead to loss of water and severe dehydration which is critical for patient’s survival.

3.      Disease is transmitted due to contaminated with water. Everyone using same water got infected.

4.      As its bacterial infection, antibiotics will be used. Along with this rehydration therapy will be required to treat dehydration.

5.      If not treated, it will lead to abnormal crams, loss of energy, dizziness, nausea etc.

6.      Diarrhoea can be dangerous and life threatening in infants and few born babies. In one to two days, it can lead to severe dehydration. A child can die due to dehydration therefore instant rehydration therapy is required.

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