Health, Hygiene, and Communicable Diseases

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering basic first aid procedures, nutritional components and food hygiene, communicable diseases, and facts versus myths regarding HIV and AIDS.

Scab

A covering of dry blood that forms over a wound as it heals.

Bruise

An injury to soft tissue caused by a fall or a blow, usually appearing dark blue or purple.

Venomous

Poisonous.

Anti-venom

Medicine used to fight snake poison.

Recovery position

A first aid position where an unconscious patient is gently placed on their back, head tilted back to clear the airway, left arm stretched to the side, right hand on the chest, and then rolled onto their left side.

Heimlich manoeuvre

A series of five abdominal thrusts performed by placing a clenched fist above the navel, grasping it with the other hand, and pulling inwards and upwards to clear a severe airway obstruction.

Nutrients

Substances in food that keep the body healthy, including proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

Carbohydrate

The body's main source of energy, found in foods such as rice, bread, and mealie meal.

Protein

A nutrient used to build muscle, keep organs strong, fight off disease, and provide energy, found in foods like beans, meat, fish, eggs, soya, milk, and cheese.

Obesity

The state of being overweight, which can result from consuming too much fat without sufficient exercise.

Sodium

Salt; an essential substance that is unhealthy in excessive amounts and dulls the ability to taste the food itself.

Cholesterol

A substance found in animal fats like butter, cheese, and meat that requires careful monitoring by individuals with heart problems.

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)

The amount of a specific nutrient a person needs to eat every day.

Preservatives

Food additives that make food last longer.

Flavourants

Ingredients added to food to enhance its taste and encourage greater consumption.

Colourants

Additives that give food a brighter color and are required by law to be clearly labeled due to potential health concerns.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

A flavourant found in seasonings like Aromat and other foods that can cause headaches, asthma, nausea, and diarrhoea.

Tartrazine

A yellow colourant believed to cause hyperactivity in children, which has been banned in some countries.

Communicable diseases

Illnesses that can be passed on from one person to another.

Symptom

A form of pain or discomfort caused by a disease.

Vaccines

Substances put into the blood to protect the body from particular diseases.

Antibodies

Substances produced by the body in the blood that act like soldiers to fight off disease or infection.

Virus

A very tiny germ that can enter the body and cause disease.

Bacterial

Made up of tiny living germs that can enter the body and cause disease.

Chicken pox

A viral infection characterized primarily by a rash of itchy spots that can leave scars, along with fever, tiredness, and back pain.

Diphtheria

A dangerous bacterial infection that creates a coating inside the throat, causing difficulty with swallowing and breathing.

Measles

A viral illness spread through the air or saliva that manifests 7 to 14 days after exposure with fever, tiny white spots inside the mouth, a cough, runny nose, sore eyes, and a skin rash.

Mumps

A viral infection that leads to painful swelling of the salivary glands in the cheeks, accompanied by fever, headache, and a sore throat.

Immune system

The system in the body that produces substances to help fight disease.

Pertussis

Also known as whooping cough; an illness lasting about six weeks that causes terrible coughing spells ending in a whooping sound upon inhaling.

Tuberculosis (TB)

An airborne bacterial disease affecting the lungs that causes a cough lasting three weeks or longer, chest pain, weight loss, fever, night sweats, and coughing up blood or sputum.

Influenza (flu)

A viral infection more serious than a common cold that produces chills, fever, muscle aches, severe headaches, and can lead to complications like pneumonia or bronchitis.

Athlete's foot

A fungal skin infection contracted in damp places like public changing rooms that causes the skin between the toes to flake and itch.

Meningitis

A serious viral or bacterial infection of the protective layer of membranes surrounding the brain, causing high fever, severe headache, and neck stiffness.

HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus; a virus that causes the immune system to break down over time.

AIDS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; an illness resulting from the breakdown of the immune system that impairs the body's ability to fight infection.

Myth

An idea that is not true.