There will come a time wherein public health services like sewage disposal and water purification will come to a standstill, thus spurring all sorts of diseases that can take your life. Before this happens, it would be better if you familiarize yourself now with some of the more common diseases you might encounter and learn how to deal with them.
Dysentery
This disease can be encountered in situations where food is improperly prepared, human waste is not disposed correctly, or waster isn’t sterilized sufficiently.
The known symptoms of this infectious diarrheal disease are the loss of appetite, vomiting excessive gas, bloating, high fever, and frequent watery stool that have mucus or blood occurring dozens of times per day. These symptoms can appear anywhere from two to ten days after infection.
E. Coli
These bacteria can get into your body through raw produce or unclean utensils, raw seafood, foods stored at improper temperatures, and dairy products left out too long. Though it can easily be avoided under normal circumstances through regular hand washing, nearly everything you touch could contain fecal matter in a disaster.
Once you’ve been infected, some of its symptoms include a loss of appetite, abdominal cramping, gas, watery diarrhea, fever, and fatigue. These symptoms could last for up to a week. If you experience bloody urine, bruising, pale skin, or dehydration, you could have a severe E. coli infection.
Cholera
If you have cholera, diarrhea can come so quickly and furiously that in a matter of hours, you go from feeling great to the verge of dehydration-induced death. In some countries, like in the U.S., cholera is rare due to the presence of modern water treatment and sewage systems. However, you can’t tell what will happen when they stop working.
Cholera symptoms include watery diarrhea that comes on suddenly and looks like water used to wash rice, muscle cramps, low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, vomiting, severe thirst, and confusion.
Typhoid Fever
This is caused by Salmonellae typhi bacteria and you can get typhoid fever from ingesting food or water that is contaminated with it. Typhoid fever includes signs such as sustained high fever, headaches, weakness, stomach pains, and loss of appetite. Also, a rose-colored rash with flat spots might appear in some cases.
What To Do About Infectious Illnesses That Cause Diarrhea
You can consider taking oregano oil if you really want to prevent these illnesses. Oregano oil can protect you against bacterial diseases like typhoid and cholera. Always make sure that your hands, the food you eat, and your plates and utensils are as clean as possible.
Rapid rehydration is essential when infectious illnesses that cause diarrhea strike. You might be tempted to take anti-diarrheal medications; however, this will just slow down your digestive system and delay the elimination of the toxins that caused your illness.
Having oral rehydration salt with electrolytes on hand in your survival kit can be your best bet. But if you don’t have it in your kit, you can easily make your own using the following recipe:
- A liter of clean water
- Half a teaspoon of salt
- 6 teaspoons sugar
Mix well and drink. It’s okay if you dilute this slightly for children. Be careful not to use too much sugar, which could make diarrhea worse.
For typhoid fever, you can try some natural antibiotics such as garlic, ginger, oregano oil, and honey. Goldenseal is great for diarrhea while clove water extract has been shown to help fight E. Coli.
