Communicable diseases

Communicable diseases

Communicable (infectious and parasitic) diseases:

It is the body’s reaction to the multiplication of a pathogen that is dangerous to it in the body and/or the release of toxins, as manifested by clinical symptoms 

  • The unique characteristics of infectious diseases:
    • the ability to spread in the community,
    • Measures are in place to prevent spread (preventive measures and actions).
  • Infectious diseases can be caused by:
    • bacteria,
    • viruses,
    • fungi,
    • worms.

Routes of infection:

  • Airborne (through the respiratory tract, coughing, sneezing).
    • Influenza, tuberculosis, chickenpox, rubella, measles, legionellosis.
  • Alimentary (food, water, unwashed, dirty hands).
    • Salmonellosis, dysentery, typhoid fever, rotavirus infection, perchiosis, yersiniasis, hepatitis A, helminthiasis.
  • Contact (skin and mucous membranes, blood).
    • Sexually transmitted diseases, fungal diseases, scabies, hepatitis B, C, intravenous drugs.
  • Transmission (via vectors).
    • Tick-borne encephalitis, borreliosis.

Epidemic process:

  • SOURCE AND CONTRIBUTOR OF INFECTION (the sick person or animal carrying the infection).
  • PATH OF TRANSMISSION (mechanism through air, food, water, contact, blood or other liquid body fluids).
  • IMMI PUBLIC (an organism in which the pathogen can multiply and cause disease).

The chain of transmission and prevention:

To stop the spread of infection, we need to block one or more parts of the chain of transmission.

Infectious diseases of the respiratory tract:

  • Respiratory diseases (flu, runny nose, strep throat, etc.) are usually spread through the air. 
  • The air exhaled by a sick person, especially when sneezing or coughing, is full of viruses and bacteria. One sneeze or cough is enough to infect a whole group).
  • This is why these diseases spread particularly rapidly in collectives, where one person can infect many others at once.

Prevention:

    • avoid close contact with sick people,
    • distinguish between sick and healthy people, 
    • not to use shared items,
    • Ventilate well and clean the rooms regularly,

Infectious diseases of the intestine:

  • These diseases are most often contracted by drinking contaminated water or eating food that has been contaminated. 
  • Worm eggs are most often introduced into the intestine by eating poorly washed fruit or vegetables.
  • Do not wash your hands before eating.

Prevention:

  • Hand hygiene – washing hands with soap removes up to 95% of bacteria and viruses that are pathogenic to humans.
  • For the prevention of these infections in groups of young children, it is essential that only healthy children join the group.

Invasive, parasitic and fungal diseases:

  • Scabies is a parasitic skin disease caused by the scabies mite. It is contracted through direct contact with the patient or through his/her belongings, as well as through sexual intercourse.
  • Fungal infectious diseases are diseases of the skin and skin appendages (nails, hair) caused by various pathological fungi. 
  • Pediculosis (lice infestation) is an infection with lice. 
    • All types of lice feed on human blood and lay eggs (glands), which they attach to hair close to the skin. 
    • Lice infections are contracted through prolonged direct contact with people with lice (in children’s groups, in crowded transport). 
    • It is most commonly spread by direct head-to-head contact or through combs, hairbrushes, other hair care products, and the exchange and sharing of headgear.
  • Children should not share combs, hairbrushes, other hair care items, headgear and clothing;
  • Headgear should be kept in the sleeve of the coat, which is stored separately in the rack;
  • Sports mattresses and head protection devices (helmets) must be cleaned (vacuumed) after each use;
  • Carpets should be vacuumed daily.

Destruction of shelters:

  • Lice-killing drugs (pediculicides) are used only after lice have been diagnosed.
  • The medication is taken twice with a 7-day break, unless otherwise stated in the instructions for use.
  • After 2-3 days of taking the medication, the hair should be carefully combed with a dense comb.
  • If live lice are observed after scalp treatment with the product, it is necessary to repeat the procedure with a different product.

 

The importance of vaccines:

  • In addition to the microbe, susceptibility (susceptibility to disease) and environmental conditions, which can favour or inhibit an organism’s resistance to infection, are important factors in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. 
  • Only a susceptible organism can get sick after infection. For some infections (influenza, measles), susceptibility can be universal, and almost everyone who is infected will be affected. 
  • Specific immunity is an acquired resistance to a particular infection. It occurs when a person contracts a disease or receives a prophylactic vaccine.
  • Vaccines are any drugs that, when given, make the body actively immune to an infectious disease.
  • Vaccines are one of the most effective and safest forms of communicable disease control
  • As part of the National Immunisation Programme, the State finances vaccinations against ten infectious diseases, most of which are spread by airborne droplets. 
  • These include tuberculosis, diphtheria, measles, rubella, epidemic parotitis, whooping cough, hepatitis B, haemophilus influenzae and others.
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