Cholera is an extremely dangerous disease because of the severity of it's symptoms and the rapid deterioration that it causes. If identified and treated early the disease is completely curable and is unlikely to be life threatening, but in many developing and underdeveloped countries factors like poverty and poor access to medical facilities lead to delays in treatment which often prove to be fatal.
The disease is caused by a bacterial infection that restricts or prevents the absorption of water. In cases that are severe it can cause violent diarrhea within just a few days. Cholera is regarded as extremely dangerous because it can cause a vast fluid loss within a very short span of time. In developing countries the disease is particularly dangerous to children.
If treatment is not provided soon enough, the disease can be fatal because of the loss of fluid within the first twenty four hours itself. Treatment is quite simple but in bad cases hospitalization is necessary so that fluids can be administered intravenously.
The Vibrio cholerae bacterium is responsible for Cholera infections. Once a sufficient amount of the bacteria has accumulated in the stomach after having been ingested through food they begin to release or produce toxins, which are responsible for the symptoms. The cholera toxin can also affect cells of the gastrointestinal tract giving the person not just an ordinary case of diarrhoea, but one in which the individual also loses a lot of fluids, which can be extremely serious. If there is no fluid replacement and the loss exceeds five to ten litres the outcome is likely to be death.
Mild cases of cholera can recover on their own and if the illness is diagnosed and treated efficiently as soon as the first symptoms surface there is an extremely high chance of complete recovery.
answered by G M