Communicable Diseases: Pathogens, Transmission, and Treatment
what are communicable diseases,
diseases that can be passed from one living thing like a human or animal or even the environment to another, because tiny germs called pathogens cause them,
pathogens are germs that make us sick,
you can get them right from sick living things or from places around you like the air water food or surfaces,
like when you breathe in tiny drops from a classmate with a cold, or drink bad water,
four major groups of pathogens,
viruses
they're like tiny bits of dna or rna wrapped in a protein coat,
they can infect all living things like humans animals and plants,
they can't copy themselves alone, they need to take over a living cell to do it,
examples are the common cold the flu and chickenpox,
in a video, you might see how simple they are, just a shell called a capsid with their genetic stuff inside,
bacteria
they're tiny single-celled living things that come in different shapes like little balls called cocci rods called bacilli or spirals called spirilla,
not all bacteria are bad, many are super important for life,
like the ones in your stomach that help you digest food,
or ones used to make yogurt from milk,
bad ones can cause things like strep throat or pneumonia,
fungi
these are living things that get food from everything around them, like yeasts molds and mushrooms,
only some kinds can make you sick,
they can cause things like athlete's foot yeast infections or even some lung problems,
protozoa
these are single-celled but more complex than bacteria,
you say protozoa like pro toe zoh,
they usually cause problems when someone's body can't fight off sickness very well,
a classic example is malaria, which can be very serious if not treated,
so remember the four main types of germs, viruses bacteria fungi and protozoa,
how communicable diseases spread,
1. direct contact,
when you touch a sick person or animal,
or touch their body fluids like blood or spit,
like when blood from a sick person gets into someone else's body,
2. contaminated food & water,
eating or drinking food or water with germs in it,
or swimming in dirty water,
like when food isn't prepared cleanly,
3. vectors,
a vector is a living thing that carries germs but doesn't get sick itself,
most of the time these are insects like mosquitoes ticks or flies,
a mosquito might pick up a germ from one person and give it to another when it bites,
4. airborne transmission,
germs that can float in the air and stay alive,
they spread when someone coughs sneezes or even just breathes in a room with bad air flow,
so keep the air moving when someone is sick,
5. contaminated objects (fomites),
things like doorknobs gym stuff or phones can have germs on them for a while,
that's why gyms often have wipes for you to clean machines before and after use,
it's up to each of us to help, stay home when sick clean things you touch a lot and don't spread your sickness to others,
treatment & prevention of infectious diseases,
medication strategies,
get rid of the germ if there's medicine for it,
make the person feel better while their body fights the sickness,
stop it from happening in the first place with shots or preventive meds,
viral infections,
often your body fights them off on its own in about ,
you mostly just rest drink liquids and take medicine to feel better,
there are special medicines for some viruses like herpes hiv or some colds but not for all of them,
each type of virus needs its own special medicine,
bacterial infections,
these are treated with antibiotics which can be natural or man-made,
the doctor picks the right antibiotic based on what kind of bacteria you have,
you can take them as pills or through a tube in your arm for really bad cases,
it's super important to take all your medicine even if you feel better because stopping early can make the germs stronger against the medicine,
fungal infections,
how they're treated depends on where the infection is and how bad it is,
like creams for athlete's foot,
or pills or iv medicine for infections inside your body like in your lungs,
protozoan infections,
these are tricky, and the medicine has to be just right for the specific type of germ, like how chloroquine is used for malaria but it's getting harder to use,
vaccination,
vaccines put a tiny bit of the germ or a weakened form into your body so your body learns how to fight it off later,
they work for both bacteria and viruses,
common ones are for the flu measles mumps rubella tetanus whooping cough and chickenpox,
two immunization philosophies,
1. active immunization
given before you might get sick,
your body makes its own antibodies and remembers how to fight,
2. passive immunization
gives you ready-made antibodies,
used when you need protection right away or if your body's defense system is weak, like for rabies or when people travel to places where certain sicknesses are common,
doctors might tell you to get certain shots before traveling to protect yourself and stop sickness from coming home,
integrated summary & practical takeaways,
pathogens = viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa,
know what they are and which ones are good or bad, especially bacteria,
sickness spreads in five ways, direct contact, food and water, vectors, through the air and from dirty things,
how we treat them,
viral, not many specific medicines, mostly make you feel better,
bacterial, antibiotics, finish all your pills,
fungal, creams or pills depending on where it is,
protozoan, special medicine for each one,
vaccines, super important for stopping sickness, active or passive,
what you can do to help everyone stay healthy,
wash your hands and clean surfaces,
don't eat or drink risky stuff,
listen up about staying home when sick and getting your shots,
keep places like gyms classrooms and your home clean and airy,
you really can make a difference, small things like wiping gym machines staying home when you have a fever or getting shots for travel can stop sickness