Science Flash Cards - Chapter : Health and Wellbeing

Health

A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Balanced diet

A meal intake containing all essential nutrients—carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, water, and dietary fibre—in correct proportions.

Kwashiorkor

A severe form of malnutrition caused by protein deficiency, characterized by a swollen abdomen, thin limbs, and stunted growth.

Marasmus

A severe condition caused by an overall deficiency of both proteins and calories, leading to extreme muscle wasting and emaciation.

Night blindness

A condition marked by impaired vision in dim light or darkness, caused by a deficiency of vitamin A.

Scurvy

A disease caused by a severe deficiency of vitamin C, leading to spongy or bleeding gums, skin spots, and poor wound healing.

Rickets

A childhood disorder resulting in soft, weak bones and skeletal deformities, caused by a lack of vitamin D or calcium.

Goitre

An abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland in the neck, typically caused by insufficient dietary iodine.

Anaemia

A condition characterized by reduced red blood cell count or low haemoglobin, most commonly caused by iron deficiency.

Communicable disease

An illness caused by infectious agents that spreads from an infected host, animal, or environment to a susceptible individual.

Pathogen

A microscopic organism, such as a bacterium, virus, fungus, or parasite, that causes disease in a host.

Vector

An organism, such as a mosquito or housefly, that carries and transmits infectious agents between hosts without contracting the disease itself.

Non-communicable disease

A medical condition or ailment that cannot be transmitted directly between persons, frequently linked to lifestyle or genetics.

Vaccination

The administration of an antigenic substance or weakened microbe to stimulate the immune system against a specific disease.

Essential practices for maintaining good health

Consuming a balanced diet, exercising regularly, practicing personal hygiene, drinking clean water, and getting adequate rest.

Balanced diet

A daily intake of food containing carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, and water in proper proportions.

Two primary categories of diseases

Communicable diseases, which spread from person to person, and non-communicable diseases, which do not spread between individuals.

Communicable disease

An illness caused by pathogenic biological agents that can be transmitted from an infected host, animal, or environment to a healthy individual.

Examples of communicable diseases

Tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid, influenza, malaria, and the common cold.

Non-communicable disease

A medical condition that is not transmissible directly from one individual to another, typically caused by lifestyle, genetic, or nutritional factors.

Examples of non-communicable diseases

Diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular conditions, cancer, scurvy, and rickets.

Pathogen

A disease-causing microscopic organism, such as a bacterium, virus, fungus, or protozoan.

Four major groups of disease-causing microorganisms

Bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa.

Airborne transmission of diseases

The spread of pathogens through tiny droplets or aerosols released into the air by coughing, sneezing, or speaking, seen in influenza and tuberculosis.

Waterborne and foodborne transmission of diseases

The spread of pathogens through ingesting contaminated water or spoiled food, seen in cholera and typhoid.

Contact transmission of diseases

The spread of pathogens through direct bodily contact or touching contaminated objects like clothes and utensils, seen in ringworm and conjunctivitis.

Vector-borne transmission of diseases

The transmission of pathogens to humans via intermediary organisms such as mosquitoes and houseflies, seen in malaria and dengue.

Vector

An organism, such as a mosquito or housefly, that carries and transmits infectious agents between hosts without contracting the disease itself.

Examples of viral diseases

Influenza, the common cold, measles, chickenpox, polio, and dengue.

Examples of bacterial diseases

Tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid, and tetanus.

Examples of fungal diseases

Ringworm and athlete's foot.

Examples of protozoan diseases

Malaria, caused by Plasmodium, and amoebic dysentery, caused by Entamoeba histolytica.

Methods to control and prevent infectious diseases

Promoting vaccination, ensuring clean drinking water, managing sewage, practicing good hygiene, isolating infectious cases, and destroying vector breeding sites.

Vaccination

The administration of an antigenic substance or weakened pathogen to stimulate the body to develop immunity against a specific illness.

Antibiotic resistance

The condition in which bacteria evolve mechanisms to survive exposure to medications designed to kill or inhibit them.

Causes of antibiotic resistance

Overprescribing antibacterial drugs, using them for viral infections, and patients stopping their prescribed medicine before completing the full course.

Practices to prevent antibiotic resistance

Using antibacterial drugs only when prescribed by a healthcare provider, completing the full course, and never taking leftover or shared medicines.

Kwashiorkor

A severe form of malnutrition caused by protein deficiency, characterized by a swollen abdomen, thin limbs, and stunted growth.

Marasmus

A severe form of malnutrition caused by a lack of both proteins and calories, leading to severe emaciation and muscle wasting.

Night blindness

A vision disorder characterized by difficulty seeing in dim light or darkness, caused by a deficiency of vitamin A.

Scurvy

A disease resulting from a severe deficiency of vitamin C, characterized by bleeding gums, skin spots, and slow wound healing.

Rickets

A childhood disorder marked by weak, soft, and deformed bones, resulting from a deficiency of vitamin D or calcium.

Goitre

An abnormal swelling of the thyroid gland in the neck, caused primarily by an insufficient intake of dietary iodine.

Anaemia

A condition marked by a decreased level of haemoglobin or red blood cells, most commonly caused by iron deficiency.