Diseases and First Aid

• Health is defined as the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely an absence of disease or infirmity.
• Disease is a departure from normal health through structural or functional disorders of the body.
• communicable/infectious/transmissible diseases are diseases that spread from an infected person to a healthy one.
• The diseases are caused due to germs called pathogens.
• non communicable/non infectious diseases are diseases that are not caused by any germ, therefore these diseases cannot spread from an infected person to a healthy one.
• non communicable diseases may be caused due to improper functioning of the body organs
• communicable diseases are those diseases that spread from an infected person to a healthy one by the entry of microorganisms/pathogens.
• these diseases are caused due to microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, worms, and protozoa
• direct contact: measles, chicken pox, fungal infections
• droplet infection: tuberculosis, common cold, measles, diptheria, etc.
• influenza: symptoms: cold, fever, chill. Spreads through droplet infection
• Measles: Symptoms: nasal discharge, redness of the eyes, coughing, fever and eruption of red papules.
• AIDS: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
• AIDS: weakens the immunity or self defence mechanism of the human body. AIDS makes the person prone to many other diseases.
• Malaria: caused by a protozoan Plasmodium which enters the body through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito. Symptoms: chills, intermittent high fever. Prevention: protection against mosquito bites and antimalarial drugs.
• Dengue: caused by the Dengue virus. Spread by a mosquito called female Aedes aegypti. Symptoms: high fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, and characteristic skin rashes. In extreme cases, it can lead to excessive bleeding (haemorrhage) and death. Incubation period: 3-14 days.
• Chikungunya: caused by a virus and spread by the bite of the female Aedes mosquito. Symptoms: fever, joint pain, muscle pain, headache, etc. Preventions: mosquito control and not visiting areas where the disease is common. Incubation period: 2-12 days
• The idea of vaccination was conceived by Edward Jenner.
• vacca in latin means cow
• Vaccination is the practice of artificially introducing germs or germ substances into the body for developing resistance to particular diseases
• Prophylaxis: artificially introducing germ substances into the body for developing resistance against diseases.
• the material introduced into the body for developing resistance to a particular disease is called vaccine
• immunity: developing resistance against any diseases
• immunization is an artificial way of achieving protection from infections by the introduction of dead or weakened germs into one's body.