ATLANTA, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Family and friends traveling to Haiti for All Saints Day and All Souls Day should take precautions to protect themselves from cholera, U.S. officials warn.
Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say cholera -- spreading in Haiti since Oct. 21 -- causes severe diarrhea and can result in life-threatening loss of fluids from the body and without treatment, a person can die within hours.
Cholera can be treated by immediate fluid and salt replacement. Antibiotics can shorten the course and diminish severity, the CDC says.
People get cholera by drinking water or eating food containing cholera germs or prepared by people sick with cholera. CDC officials recommend:
-- Take water purification tablets or other supplies to make safe drinking water on your own.
-- Eat food that is thoroughly cooked and hot.
-- Wash hands often with soap and water.
-- Wash yourself, children, diapers and clothes away from drinking water sources.
-- Use latrines, or sanitation systems like chemical toilets, to dispose of feces.
-- Pack oral rehydration salts to use if sick with diarrhea and use safe water to make the oral rehydration solution.
More information about traveling to Haiti is at: cdc.gov/haiticholera.
