The fear of cholera is known as Cholerophobia. This phobia may also describe fear of anger. Today, we will look at the dread disease and the reasons why it causes so much fear and anxiety.
Why Fear Cholera?
The fear of cholera is quite understandable. This disease causes great gastrointestinal distress, and often kills the person unlucky enough to suffer from it. It is caused by the bacterium known as Vibrio cholerae.
Contracting cholera is as easy as eating or drinking something that contains traces of Vibrio cholerae bacteria. Once you’ve ingested this bacterial strain, its toxins act on the inner lining of the intestine. When this occurs, excessive and dehydrating bouts of diarrhea will render the victim drained and desperately ill.
More Information About Cholera
Once cholera begins its deadly march through the human body, its results are devastating. Blood pressure descends to dangerous levels, and death may result in as few as 18 hours after the first symptoms appear. While some may survive for a few days after contracting the killer bacterium, early detection is obviously of great importance.
Cholera Pandemics Are Nothing New
For centuries, outbreaks of cholera have caused huge loss of life and great suffering in human beings. The bacteria can spread through contaminated food and water, and it can also be spread through feces that carries Vibrio Cholerae.
Pandemics of cholera appeared with some regularity during the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Populations were decimated by the microscopic bacterium. Newspaper depictions of cholera often used symbols such as Grim Reapers carrying scythes to illustrate the evils of the disease. From London to Indonesia, to Quebec, Canada – cholera spread like wildfire, time and time again.
Cholera Today
In the 20th century, Africa is the locus for this disease. Over 130,000 cases were reported worldwide in 2000, and the great majority of them were based in African countries.
The lack of clean, sanitary drinking water has led to outbreaks in Iraq, the Congo, India and Vietnam. Today, cholera still rears its ugly head, causing pain and death.
Treating Cholera
While the disease is deadly and a phobia about it is certainly logical in some respects, it’s important to understand that cholera is a fully treatable disease, when it is caught in time. The vital importance of replacing lost fluids that cause dehydration cannot be overstated. By giving the person with cholera special oral rehydration salts, the disease can be overcome.
The trading of good wordwide often contributes to the spread of this disease. Since trading of foodstuffs between countries is unlikely to end, it’s important to understand the disease and how it is treated. Once you realize that cholera can be beaten with proper treatment, it may become easier to let go of fears and the physical symptoms they cause.
Treatment Of Choleraphobia
Education can be the most important treatment for this phobia. A person who suffers from the fear of cholera may have experienced the loss of a loved one, or watched frightening reports about the disease on TV.
Some people do not know that cholera does not have to be fatal. When they are around triggers, such as media stories on the disease, they will feel faint, nauseated, and stricken with terror.
Teaching the person with Choleraphobia what needs to be done in the event of an outbreak will give them the tools they need to conquer their fears. If fears persist, panic treatments can retrain the brain to respond differently, reducing panic and physical symptoms.
The fear of cholera is also referred to as:
- cholera fear
- afraid of cholera
- cholera phobia
