COMMUNICABLE DISEASES NURSING

• A.Communicable Disease

  Caused by an infectious agent which is acquired from an infected individual and transmitted to a susceptible host either by direct and indirect contact or through direct inoculation into a broken skin or mucous membrane
• Persons important for a communicable disease to occur


  • Infected individual
  • Susceptible host
• Infectious disease


  • Not easily transmitted from person to person, requires inoculation
• Inoculation


  Entrance of microorganism through mechanical means, e.g. biting, puncturing, laceration, open wound
• Contagious disease


  • Easily transmitted from one person to another through droplet, direct, or indirect contact
• B. Epidemiology

  The science of the patterns of disease, its occurrence, distribution, or spread and the prevention and control among group of individuals as public health; backbone of disease prevention
• Patterns of Disease Occurrence

  • Sporadic
  • Endemic
  • Epidemic
  • Pandemic
• Sporadic


  On-and-off attack of the disease; intermittent or occasional; 20% susceptible host, 80% immune
• Endemic


  Constantly present in a certain locality; 50% immune, 50% susceptible
• Epidemic


  Number of cases exceeds beyond the normal number of cases for a short period of time; 80% susceptible host, 20% immune
• Pandemic


  Worldwide epidemic
• C. Triad of Disease Causation or the Epidemiologic Triad


  Factors that interact to cause a disease
• Factors in the Triad of Disease Causation


  • Agent
  • Host
  • Environment
• 1. Agent

  • Bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and parasites (biological agents)
  • Characteristics of Agents: 1. Infectivity 2. Virulence 3. Antigenicity 4. Pathogenicity
• Infectivity

  Ability of an agent to enter the human body and to move into tissues
• Virulence

  Strength, potency, or power of the agent to cause a disease
• The shorter the incubation period


  The more virulent the agent is
• Antigenicity

  Ability to stimulate antibody response (specific response)
• 2. Environment

  The medium for survival and multiplication of causative agent
• Pathogenicity


  Ability to cause infection or disease
• 3. Host


  The area where the agent gets its nourishment.

  Types of HOST:

  a. Humans

  b. Animal

  c. Plants d. Soil,water,air,milk

  e. Fomites
• NOTE!: Nonspecific response

  • Calor
  • Rubor
  • Dolor
  • Tumor Functiolaesa
• Types of humans


  • Carrier - asymptomatic; a person who harbors microorganisms but does not manifest signs and symptoms; most dangerous
  • Sub-clinically ill - manifests mild signs and symptoms; less dangerous
  • Clinically ill - manifests ALL the signs and symptoms; least dangerous
• Animal

  Serves as an intermediate host; secondary or transitional; important in the completion of the life cycle or the microorganisms, e.g. oncomelania quadrasi (snail) in schistosomiasis
• Plants

  Breeding places of animals
• 
  

  • Soil, water, air, milk
  • Fomites - inanimate objects
• All these factors are necessary to cause a disease; an absence of one factor will not cause a disease
• If one factor is absent, it will lead to health or wellness
• D. Chain of infection

  1. Agent

  -Causative agent that releases toxic products that can be found inside or outside the cell
• Types of toxin

  • Exotoxin - toxic product that can be found outside the cell when the microorganism is still alive
  • Endotoxin - toxic product inside the cell that is released when the cell is already dead; more dangerous
• 2. Reservoir

  Source of infection; normal area in the body where the organisms can be found
• 3. Portals of Exit

  • Respiratory system - sneezing and coughing of respiratory secretions (SMILING is not included)
  • GIT/Alimentary tract - vomitus and feces
  • GUT - urine, semen, vaginal discharges
  • Skin - open wound
  • Mechanical - bite of an insect or animal
  • Blood - broken skin or mucosa
  • Transplacental - mother to fetus
  • Exudates or discharges - conjunctival secretions, saliva, pus
• 4. Modes of Transmission

  • Direct Contact - person to person; needs intimate contact; sexual intercourse, droplet (coughing and sneezing), airborne
  • Indirect - needs vehicle-borne or vector-borne
• Droplet

  Less than three feet; less than 30 minutes
• Airborne

  More than three feet; more than 30 minutes
• Vehicle

  Matters through which organism can be transmitted e.g. milk, soil, water
• Vector

  Through animals e.g. arthropods or mollusks
• 5. Portal of Entry

  Corresponds to the portal of exit
• 6. Susceptible Host

  Prone individuals
• E. Stages of Diseases

  • Incubation period
  • Prodromai period (catarrhal period)
  • Stage of Illness
  • Convalescence