Communicable Disease

• These diseases are caused by certain infectious agents which may be bacteria or viruses.

• These are capable of being transmitted from person to person or from environment to person.

Classification:

• Communicable diseases can be classified on the basis of the causative organisms.

• These are as follows:

  • Bacterial: Typhoid, Cholera, Tuberculosis

  • Viral: Common cold, Influenza, HIV infection, Dengue

  • Protozoal: Malaria, Kala-azar

  • Fungal: Fungal infections of nails, groins, skin, and hair

  • Parasitic: Infestations of intestinal worms, like roundworms, or lice.

Modes of Transmission:

• The modes of transmission can be classified as direct and indirect transmission.

  • Direct transmission As we have studied in our earlier classes, direct transmission of diseases takes place as follows:

    • Direct contact or touching: When we touch a person or come in direct contact with the skin or mucous membrane of the diseased person, it transmits infections like skin and eye infections.

    • Droplet infection: Spray of droplets of saliva or secretion of a diseased person spreads common cold, tuberculosis, and meningitis.

    • Contact with soil: This can cause acquiring the disease agent directly and may spread diseases like hookworm infestation and tetanus.

    • Inoculation into skin or mucosa: Certain diseases spread in other ways.

      • For example, Rabies is spread to humans from animals.

        • It is generally known that it occurs due to a dog or a monkey bite.

      • Hepatitis occurs owing to the virus, transmitted through contaminated needles.

      • HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) can be transmitted by sexual contact or through the transmission of infected blood from an infected person.

        • HIV can be transmitted by the HIV-infected mother to the baby and can cause AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

  • Indirect transmission Communicable diseases are also transmitted indirectly in the following ways that are popularly known as ‘5Fs’— flies, fingers, fomites (material capable of carrying infections, like towels, handkerchiefs, etc.), food, and fluid.

    • Some diseases are spread through water, food, ice, blood, and body tissues and organs.

    • For example, typhoid, diarrhea, polio, intestinal parasites, and infective hepatitis.

      • Flies contaminate food and other eatables.

      • A living carrier (also known as a vector) is a disease agent that lives on or inside the body of the carrier causing diseases like malaria and plague.

      • Airborne infectious materials transmitted through droplet infection or dust cause diseases like respiratory infections and itch mites.

      • Fomites are objects like towels, handkerchiefs, toys, glass, spoons, etc. which we use daily.

        • Eye and skin infections and dysentery (diarrhea with blood) are spread through these fomites.

      • Our unclean hands and fingers act as disease-causing agents and transfer the infection to food through the skin, and nose, and causes diseases, such as intestinal parasites, dysentery, and typhoid.

        • Healthy people can also spread disease if they are “carriers”.

        • These are the people who themselves may be immune to the organisms they harbor but can be a source of transmission to others as happens in the case of typhoid.

Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases:

• The following measures help in the prevention and control of the spread of communicable diseases:

  • Personal hygiene

    • Bathing every day and cleaning clothes keep our bodies free from harmful microbes.

    • Cutting nails and washing hair regularly.

    • Brushing teeth twice a day (morning and night), particularly after meals.

    • Ensuring that your ears are clean.

      • Do not share articles that are of personal use, that is, towels, soaps, toothbrushes, combs, razors, and other toiletries.

    • Wash hands before touching food or water and before eating or drinking.

      • Wash hands with soap and water before touching your face, eyes, and mouth and also before and after using the toilet.

        • Many microbes like viruses, bacteria, and fungi are transmitted by touching surfaces with their hands and become potential carriers.

          • Hence by washing hands, we can prevent diseases like diarrhea, flu, and skin and eye infections.

  • Food and water hygiene

    • Drink potable water.

      • If it does not appear clean, boil or filter and then consume it.

    • Eat only freshly prepared food or consume it within four hours of preparation.

      • Do not purchase and consume fruits and vegetables which have been cut and kept in the open for a long time.

    • Keep all food articles covered to prevent contamination by flies.

    • Environmental sanitation

      • Use sanitary latrines; avoid open-air defecation.

    • Throw waste in dustbins to avoid breeding of flies.

      • Clean the drains regularly.

    • Regularly check the places where water is collected and has the possibilities of mosquito breeding.

      • Spray insecticide to prevent breeding of mosquitoes.

    • Try to prevent contamination of drinking water (source of water should be away from source of garbage collection/ waste disposal site).

      • The container of drinking water must be kept at a clean and safe place.

      • Vaccines boost immunity and thus helps the body fight diseases.

        • A large number of infectious diseases can be prevented by taking vaccines at an appropriate time, such as, diphtheria, pertussis, polio, tetanus, rabies, measles, chickenpox, typhoid, etc.

      • Treatment of diseases using medicines

      • Medicines kill microbes and /or slow their growth.

        • These are classified as anti-virals, anti-fungal, anti-protozoal and antibiotics according to the group of microbes they act upon.

          • However, these medicines should be taken in the recommended dose and duration as advised by the doctor.

        • One should avoid self-medication.

      • Isolation of patients with communicable diseases

        • Patients suffering from such diseases that are communicable should be kept in a clean environment isolated from others.

      • Education and awareness It is important to make people aware of communicable diseases, their causes, and their modes of spread.

      • People should also be made aware of their responsibilities towards control of communicable diseases, e.g. ensuring the use of safe water, and healthy food, and proper management of garbage and waste disposal.

Non-Communicable Diseases:

• The non–communicable diseases may occur due to genetic and lifestyle factors.

  • When these are caused by an unhealthy lifestyle, these diseases are also called lifestyle diseases.

    • Risk factors of non–communicable diseases include lack of physical exercise, poor dietary habits, inadequate sleep, stress, and habits like smoking, taking alcohol, and tobacco chewing.

  • An arbitrary classification of non–communicable diseases can be:

    • Lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

    • Mental health diseases like depression; and trauma.

      • Given below are the behavioral risk factors which can give way to the manifestation of the physiological risk factors and ultimately lead to diseases.

        • All packaged and canned food items contain a very high level of sodium because of the presence of salt that is used as a preservative.

        • If you are in the habit of adding table salt to your food, you are consuming excess salt.

          • The use of excess salt is linked with hypertension.

            • Hence, the consumption of excessive salt in daily food, packaged and canned foods needs to be avoided.

        • Sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise.

        • You can put on excess weight if you do not exercise daily.

          • This excess weight and lack of exercise can lead to hypertension

            • In addition to taking the prescribed medication, doing regular exercises and taking a high-fiber diet can help one to control hypertension.

            • People who cannot manage stress and constantly worry about things are prone to hypertension.

      • Hence, one needs to learn to cope with stress in a healthy way by doing meditation and yoga and diverting attention by observing healthy mental habits like listening to music, reading, writing poems, pursuing a hobby, etc.

        • People who cannot manage stress and constantly worry about things are prone to hypertension.

          • Intake of nicotine either through smoking or chewing tobacco may lead to hypertension and should be avoided.

            • Consistent use of tobacco, gutkha, khaini, etc. has been linked to various types of cancer.

              • The consumption of tobacco, therefore, must be avoided.

          • Diabetes mellitus is one of the endocrine diseases.

            • It is caused due to inadequate secretion of the hormone insulin from pancreas.

              • Insulin regulates the level of sugar in our body.

                • Lack of insulin causes increase of sugar in our body leading to the condition called diabetes mellitus.

                • Common symptoms of this are increase in hunger, frequency of urination, and growing thirst.

                • Until recently, most children and adolescents with diabetes were thought to have Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes.

              • However, Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM Type 2) among children is now being increasingly reported from several parts of the world.

                • Adolescents who are obese are more likely to get Type 2 diabetes which is manifested as high blood sugar.

                  • If untreated, it leads to complications in kidneys, eyes and other organs systems in the body.

                • Diabetes can be managed primarily by bringing about changes in lifestyle and physical exercises and medication.

Prevention and Cure:

• Eating a balanced diet helps in the prevention of obesity and other lifestyle diseases.

  • The balanced diet includes fruits and vegetables, preferably locally available and seasonal, wholegrain products (including pulses), milk, and milk products.

  • Adequate sleep We all require daily 6–8 hours of sound sleep.

    • Inadequate sleep leads to changes in blood pressure, increase in stress level and disturbance of what is called the biological clock.

      • We all require daily 6–8 hours of sound sleep.

      • Inadequate sleep leads to changes in blood pressure, increase in stress level and disturbance of what is called the biological clock

  • People who undertake physical exercise and yoga activities daily keep themselves physically fit, feel happy and do not put on excess weight.

    • One must do 20–30 minutes of physical activity daily to keep fit.

      • This can be done by taking part in sports.

      • Exercising or spot jogging can be done at home.

        • Simple walking, climbing stairs, not using the lift and skipping have the same effect.

        • The gym is another dedicated place for workouts.

          • If a person is not able to handle stress, he/she experiences anxiety and depression.

            • This weakens the immune system and one falls sick very often.

        • One can also experience psychosomatic symptoms like headache, bodyache, stomachache, fatigue, inability to concentrate and loss of interest in all activities.

          • Meditation, relaxation, exercises and other yoga actvities help reduce stress.

            • You can also engage in hobbies like drawing, painting, listening to music and so on as relaxation techniques when under any type of stress.

            • All these have positive impact that reduce anxiety and depression and prevent diabetes, hypertension and heart attacks in the long run.

              • Antioxidants help in prevention of the damage, repair of cellular functions and delay in the ageing process.

                • Fresh vegetables, fruits and dry fruits are rich sources of antioxidants.

  • Use of Ayurvedic, Homeopathy and Unani medicine also help in the cures of Non-communicable Diseases.

    • Ayurveda is the science of life and health, developed in India since ages.

      • It lays emphasis on prevention and promotion of health in addition to curing the diseases.

      • The treatment under Ayurveda can be successfully used in early stages of diabetes, liver-disorders, skin diseases, stress, insomnia (sleeplessness) and anorectal-diseases.

        • Some specialised Ayurvedic treatments can be helpful in diseases like joint-pains, neuromuscular diseases and paralysis.

        • Both Homeopathy and Unani systems of medicine are also used in the treatment of non–communicable diseases.

          • Homeopathy is that system of medicine which is based on the nature’s law of cure.

            • It is a safe and effective method of treatment.

            • It helps in increasing the immunity of the body and offers in many cases a long lasting cure.

          • The unani system of medicine is also the natural way of treatment with the help of herbal medicines.

• According to this system, the health of a person depends on the balance of four elements in the body.

  • These are Dam (blood), Balgham (phlegm), Safra (yellow bile), and Sanda (black bile).

    • Unani medicines are given to the person suffering from a disease to promote an equilibrium of these elements in the body.