Disease

• What is a communicable disease?

  A disease that can be transmitted from one person to another.
• What is a non-communicable disease?

  A disease that cannot be transmitted through person to person.
• What are the four main types of pathogen?

  Bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa (protists)
• What is a pathogen?

  A microorganism that can cause a disease.
• How do bacteria cells infect you?

  They get inside the body through an opening, multiply and then produce toxins inside cells.
• How do viruses make you sick?

  They get inside the body and get into a cell. They then hijack it and take full control of the cell. Then they make the cell produce more of the virus and eventually all the virus cells burst out of the cell and repeat.
• How are diseases spread?

  Through droplet infection or air, water, food, physical contact and animals.
• How can we prevent the spread of disease?

  Use effective hygiene, isolate infected individuals, destroy vectors (carries the pathogen) and vaccinate people.
• How can you stop infections through:

  Water —> boil it or drink clean water

  Sexual contact —> wear a condom, don’t have sex

  Air —> wear masks, have good hygiene

  Animals —> destroy nests, wear more clothing, stay away

  Food —> store and cook properly
• An endemic is a disease that is always present and happens everywhere, like the flu or a cold
• A sporadic disease is a dormant disease that sometimes pops up.
• An epidemic is when there are high numbers of cases in a given area.
• A pandemic is a global epidemic.
• How do bacteria cells reproduce?


  Binary fission. One cell splits to form two new cells.
• What is an aseptic technique?


  Methods used to prevent the growth of unwanted bacteria.
• What is a vector?

  An organism that spreads disease, rather than causes it.
• Malaria is spread by mosquitoes and is a parasitic (protozoa) disease.
• Malaria Protozoa feed on the blood of animals that the mosquitoes bite. The parasite is passed on when the mosquito bites something.
• How can we prevent malaria?

  Kill mosquitoes, wearing long clothes or nets when sleeping, get vaccinated and use larium (kills parasites)
• What is cancer?


  Uncontrolled cell growth after having avoided the immune system
• What causes cancer?


  Mutations in the DNA, more specifically in the genes rather than in the dark DNA
• What are mutagens?


  Things that cause mutations to the cells DNA
• What is a tumour?


  A mass of uncontrolled cell growth
• What is a benign and malignant tumour?

  Benign: stays in one location, doesn’t spread

  Malignant: spreads everywhere
• What is metastasis?


  The spreading of cancer
• How does cancer spread?

  Through the blood or lymphs
• What treatments exists for cancer?

  Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy
• What is a carcinogen?


  A substance capable of causing cancer in living tissue