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Recommended Fluid Therapy
- Preferred: Ringer lactate solution
- Suitable: Normal Saline (does not correct base acodosis and potassium losses)
- Unsuitable: Plain glucose (dextrose) solution.
Antibiotics are to be given as soon as vomiting has stopped- which is usually 3-4 hours of oral rehydration.
The drug of choice for treatment is:
| Antibiotic | Children | Adults | Preferred to |
| Doxycycline (once) | - | 300 mg | adult |
| Tetracycline (4 times a day for 3 days) |
12.5 mg /kg | 500 mg | adult |
| Trimethroprim (TMP)Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) twice a day for 3 days |
TMP 5 mg/kg SMX 25 mg/kg |
TMP 160 mg SMX 800 mg |
Children |
| Furazoludine 4 times a day for 3 days |
1.25 mg/kg | 100 mg | Pregnant woman |
- Injectable antibiotics have no special advantageous.
- No other medications, antispasmotics antidiarrhoeal cardiolotrics are required. If diarrhoea persists after 48 hours of treatment resistance to antibiotics should be suspected & antibiotics are to be prescribed accordingly.
After the initial fluid and electrolyte deficit has been corrected . Oral fluid should be used for maintenance therapy. In adults and older children, thirst is an adequate guide for fluid needs. The Oral fluid intake should equal the rate of continuing stool loss.
Chemoprophylaxis
Approximately 10-12 percent of close household contacts of a cholera case may be bacteriologically positive and develop clinical illness.
Tetracycline is the drug of choice for chemprophyalaxis. It has to be given over a 3-day period in a twice -daily dose of 500mg for adults, 125mg for children aged 4-13 years and 50 mg for children aged 0-3 years.
The long acting tetracycline (doxycycline) may be used. A single oral dose of doxycycline (300 mg for adults and 6 mg/kg for children under 15 years) is effective.
