the drinking cup into the storage advise the community on sanitation

container in order to avoid water promotion and good hygiene

contamination. practices.
• Always use the latrine. Dispose of • Ensure that all foodstuffs sold
children’s faeces into the latrine. in markets or restaurants are THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
properly handled and covered.
• Eat food when still hot.
• Help the sick to seek medical care.

CHOLERA
• Food eaten raw such as fruits
and vegetables should be properly • Set a good example in your home
washed and where possible peeled and community as a whole.
before eating.
• Cover all foods and drinks to avoid

cockroaches.
Key points to remember
What you need to
know and do
• In case a person dies from Cholera,
report immediately to the nearest • Everyone is at risk.
health worker.
• Cholera is a serious disease but
• Communal eating during burials can be prevented.
should be avoided.
• Washing hands with soap and
• Kill the Cholera germs by sprinkling water before preparing, serving
germ-killing solutions such as Jik and eating food and after using the
or Dettol on stool or vomit and all latrine kills the germs and prevents
other clothes/materials used by a the spread of Cholera.
person suffering from Cholera.
• Boiling or chlorinating drinking
water kills Cholera germs and
What is your role as an individual and prevents the spread of Cholera.
community leader in preventing and • Use and maintain a clean latrine.
controlling Cholera?
• Ensure that every home has uses
and maintains a clean latrine.
• Ensure that all household waste For more information, contact
is thrown into a rubbish pit and
covered. your nearest health facility
• Mobilise, supervise, educate and
Introduction • Eating cold food, which is exposed
to dust, flies and cockroaches.
Cholera is an acute illness that results
in excessive watery diarrhoea. It is • Not washing hands with soap and
a dangerous disease that can lead to water after using the latrine or
death shortly after infection. Cholera is cleaning a baby’s bottom.
preventable and yet has continued to
• Eating unwashed fruits and
affect many people in Uganda.
vegetables.
• Serving food and drinks in
The disease is mostly common during the dirty containers.
rainy seasons and in communities with
• Keeping drinking water in
poor sanitation and hygiene.
dirty containers.
• Poor disposal of faeces.
What is cholera?
• Open rubbish in compounds
Cholera is a dangerous disease caused by which attracts flies and
germs. It causes sudden and continuous cockroaches.
passing of watery stool and sometimes
vomiting. This leads to rapid loss of water
and salts from the body making the What are the signs and symptoms of
person generally weak. Cholera can lead Cholera?
to death within 3 to 4 hours if a person is A person suffering from Cholera develops
not treated quickly. the following:
• Frequent passing of excessive
How is Cholera spread? amounts of watery stool.
The Cholera germ is spread through • Vomiting.
faeces or vomit of someone suffering • General body weakness due
from Cholera. A person gets Cholera from to excessive loss of water.
drinking water, juices and other fluids or
eating food which are contaminated with • Feeling thirsty and stops urinating
Cholera germs. due to reduced body fluids.
Cholera can also be spread through: How can one manage a person
suffering from Cholera?
• Drinking untreated or unboiled
water from rivers, streams, lakes, • When a person develops signs
ponds and unprotected springs. and symptoms, immediately start
giving him or her Oral Rehydration
Salts (ORS) or other fluids at home.
• Dispose of faeces including
children’s into a latrine.
• Wash hands thoroughly with soap
and water.
• Clean all soiled items with plenty of
water, soap and Jik.
• Take a person suffering from
Cholera for treatment to the health
facility as soon as possible and
(while on the way to the health
facility) continue giving fluids
(ORS). Remember, any delay
can lead to death.
How can Cholera be prevented?
• Always wash hands with soap and
water before preparing, serving or
eating food.
• Always wash hands with soap and
water after using the latrine or
cleaning a baby’s bottom.
• Always boil
all drinking
water or
treat it with
chlorine.
Store it
in a clean
container (e.g
jerrycan) with
a cover.
• Always pour water from the storage
container for drinking. Never dip