The Ministry of Health of Tajikistan and Rospotrebnadzor will collaborate to combat the risks of cholera spreading, as reported by "Asia Plus" in the country's Ministry of Health. Despite no registered cases of cholera in the republic, Tajikistan's Ministry of Health sought assistance from the Russian agency to organize preventive monitoring of the disease and enhance readiness for potential epidemiological complications, especially in border areas.
Last year, Afghanistan reported numerous cholera cases, and since Tajikistan shares a border with Afghanistan, there is a risk of the disease spreading to the country. Measures are being taken to prevent the disease due to active trade and markets with Afghanistan. Additionally, Russian specialists will visit Tajikistan after the celebration of Navruz for joint efforts, including training local specialists.
Participating in this collaboration will be the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Research Anti-Plague Institute" of Rospotrebnadzor (Rostov-on-Don), the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Russian Scientific Research Anti-Plague Institute 'Microbe' of Rospotrebnadzor, and the Federal Budgetary Institution "Central Research Institute of Epidemiology".
Negotiations took place on March 15 via video conference between the head of Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, and the Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection of the Population of Tajikistan, Abduholik Amirzoda.
Cholera, once considered a disease of the past, has been spreading in various countries since the end of December 2022. According to the WHO, by the beginning of February 2023, outbreaks of the disease were reported in at least 18 countries, with high fatality rates in many of them.
Cholera is a highly dangerous infectious disease caused by the cholera vibrio (Vibrio cholerae). The toxins it produces affect the small intestine, leading to watery diarrhea and vomiting. The disease is transmitted through the fecal-oral route via water or contaminated food, with humans as the source of infection. The cholera vibrio has a high resistance in the environment, surviving up to 150 days in feces, 106 days in pit latrines, 60 days in soil, and 4 days on the surface of fruits and vegetables.
In humans, the microorganism enters through the digestive tract. In the stomach, most vibrios perish due to gastric acid. The remaining bacteria enter the small intestine, where the alkaline environment favors their multiplication. The main symptom of cholera is profuse diarrhea without abdominal pain, with stool appearing as watery, cloudy-white liquid with floating flakes ("rice water stool").
