The-Accountant-Sep-Oct-2017-Final

HEALTH
DEALING WITH
AMOEBIASIS AND CHOLERA
Compiled by Angela Mutiso
Have you ever felt so
uncomfortable and thought
you had malaria only
to realize that your real
problem was Amoebiasis?
Incidentally, this has happened to quite a
number of people. Many people in Kenya
often rush for malaria drugs (which they
can get over the counter) whenever they
have fever and fatigue. This is possibly
because malaria, one of the well known
sicknesses that ail Kenyans, is also
characterized by headache, tiredness and
diarrhea like amoebiasis.
Amoebiasis can easily be treated but
can prove fatal if allowed to develop to
a bad point. According to the American
journal of tropical medicine and hygiene,
intestinal amebiasis which is caused by
the Entamoeba histolyticaparasite is
the second leading cause of death from
parasitic illness worldwide... Annually,
it is estimated that 500 million people
are infected with this parasite, leading
to 40,000–100,000 deaths worldwide.
As a result, intestinal amebiasis remains
an important public health concern,
particularly in developing countries.
What makes this feature on amoebiasis
even more interesting is that quite a
number of Kenyans have lately been
plagued by cholera, and the measures you
take to avoid amoebiasis are more or less
the same as those used to prevent cholera.
In both cases though, a lot of care has
to be taken when travelling. Amoebiasis
causes a lot of discomfort when it strikes,
and seems to be more common in areas
where water is not properly treated and
in people who do not wash their hands
correctly after using the toilet. According
to Dr. Bernard Webuye, a doctor based
in Nairobi and has been practicing for
about 30 years, when you get infected;
the symptoms include general malaise,
headache, abdominal cramps, diarrhea,
and fever. He explains that it is mainly
transmitted through the fecal–oral route;
it occurs mainly in areas with poor
hygiene, and is chiefly water borne disease.
You must examine your food thoroughly
before eating it actually; healthline advises
that you thoroughly wash fruits and
vegetables before eating. Avoid eating
fruits or vegetables unless you wash and
peel them yourself. Stick to bottled water
and soft drinks. If you must drink water,
boil it or treat it with iodine. Additionally,
avoid eating uncooked foods, particularly
vegetables and fruit which cannot be
peeled before eating. Drink only packaged
drinks, boiled water or chlorinated and
filtered water. Avoid drinks containing
ice. Remember, ‘cook it, peel it or leave it’.
Amebiasis is contagious. Wherever living
conditions are unsanitary and hygiene
is poor, the chances are higher that the
infection will pass from person to person.
Someone carrying amoebas in his or her
intestines can pass the infection to others
through the stool - healthline further
states
Meanwhile wikihow describes
Amoebiasis, also known as amoebic
dysentery, as an infection caused by any
of the amoebas of the Entamoeba group.
Symptoms are most common during
infection by Entamoeba. Amoebiasis
can present with no, mild, or severe
symptoms. Symptoms may include
abdominal pain diarrhea, or bloody
diarrhea. Complications may include
inflammation of the colon. With tissue
death or perforation which may result in
peritonitis. People affected may develop
anemia due to loss of blood. It stresses that
amebiasis is a parasitic infection caused by
Entamoeba histolytica. The parasite may
cause both intestinal and extra-intestinal
disease. Intestinal disease manifests as
fever, chills, bloody or mucoid diarrhea,
abdominal comfort, or alternating
diarrhea with constipation. Amebiasis
is ubiquitous and typically transmits
by putting anything into the mouth or
touching anything to the mouth that has
been contaminated with infected feces,
which is preventable with appropriate
measures.
Cysts of Entamoeba can survive for up
to a month in soil or for up to 45 minutes
under fingernails. Invasion of the intestinal
48 september - october 2017