TYPHUS AND CHOLERA

It is almost a given that in the near future our "civilization" will receive a jolt from one source or another, a cascade effect will take place, and people will have to live by their wits -- and some lack them. It only takes one idiot with poor sanitation techniques to ruin the environment for all near them and introduce diseases grown rare in our society: cholera and typhus. Those two diseases go hand in hand with unhygienic conditions, and we can expect to see them with increasing frequency in the near future.

Unfortunately, we will probably have to treat typhus and cholera -- as well as some food borne diseases -- all by ourselves with what we have at hand: it could be a fatal mistake to assume that others will solve our problems for us. We can, with luck, determination, and careful preparation, have the medications on hand to treat a wide variety of diseases: broad-spectrum antibiotics.

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TYPHUS

Typhoid fever is a highly infectious disease spread by unsanitary conditions, either person to person or through contaminated food or water. The symptoms begin suddenly with headache, loss of appetite, and vomiting. Fever follows, increasing to around 104 F, weakness, diarrhea (usually bloody), and often delirium.

Recovery from typhus can take two to three weeks -- if there are no complications. But there are usually complications, and they make typhus a life-threatening disease; usually gastrointestinal bleeding or rupture of the intestines.

If typhoid fever is suspected, the patient should be isolated. All bodily fluids should be carefully contained and burned if they cannot be sterilized with an extremely strong bleach solution. The patient should be given quantities of electrolytic fluids (salt and baking soda if nothing else is available). The broad spectrum antibiotic of choice is tetracycline or Terramycin.

CHOLERA

Cholera bacteria is spread through polluted water or raw fruits and vegetables. The disease is caused by bacteria that damage the intestinal lining and cause such severe diarrhea that up to four (4) gallons of liquid per day are lost.

The main symptoms of cholera are obviously abdominal pain and severe diarrhea, severe thirst, and occasional vomiting. If cholera is not treated, the dehydration can quickly lead to death.

The main treatment is to replenish bodily fluids as much as possible. Clean water with an electrolytic solution can be administered orally or intramuscularly, and the patient treated with a broad spectrum antibiotic -- tetracycline or Terramycin.

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