Health and Disease

• Health is the state of physical and mental well being
• Communicable diseases can be spread from person to person, or from animals to people. They can be caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi.
• Non-communicable diseases cannot be spread between people or between people and animals. They generally last for a long time and get worse slowly. Asthma, cancer and coronary heart disease are example of non-communicable diseases.
• Sometimes different diseases interact

  • People who have problems with their immune system have an increased chance of suffering from communicable diseases because their body is less likely to defend itself against pathogens
• • Some types of cancer can by triggered by infection by certain viruses.
  • Infection with some types of hepatitis virus can cause long-term infections in the liver, which increase the chance of liver cancer.
  • HPV can cause cervical cancer in women.
• Immune system reactions in the body caused by infection by a pathogen can sometimes trigger allergic reactions such as skin rashes or worsen the symptoms of asthma.
• Mental health issues such as depression can be triggered when someone is suffering from severe health problems, particularly if they have an impact on the person's ability to carry out everyday activities, or if they affect the person's life expectancy.
• Your diet affects your health. A poor diet can affect your physical and mental health.
• Being constantly stressed can cause health issues.
• Your life situation, (access to medicines, access to healthy food, access to condoms) can also affect your health and transmission of disease to you.
• Non-communicable diseases can be costly

  • The human cost: Tens of millions of people die per year, shorter life span, lower quality of life.
  • The financial cost: NHS cost of researching and treating, families who may have to move homes or adapt, giving up work or dying reduces family incomes, a reduction in people working reduces a countries economy.