common diseases(part 1)

                              Common diseases

Tuberculosis 

Tuberculosis is worldwide but is most common in tropical areas. Tuberculosis takes a long time to develop but depends mainly upon the health and state of the people. Most common TB. is of the lungs, apart from TB of intestine, bones etc. 

Causative Organisms  of TB

A bacillus (bacterium) Mycobacterium is the cause of tuberculosis. There are several species  of Mycobacterium causing different types of TB. 

 

Bacteria of tuberculosis

 The bacterium is very resistant and can remain alive for several months under unfavourable circumstances but reproduces when circumstances become favourable. Toxins produced by the bacteria cause the disease. 

  Spread of tuberculosis

The disease is spread by droplet infection (cough, sneezing, deep breath and by spitting) and unboiled milk. Over-crowding and humid and dirty conditions also promote the spread of disease. 

Control of tuberculosis

The disease can be controlled by; 
1-Vaccination of BCG to the children to encourage the development of antibodies. 
2-Revaccination is necessary after three to five years. 
3-Use of thoroughly boiled or pasteurized milk. 
4-By keeping patients in isolated places or separate rooms in the houses.

Treat ment of tuberculosis

 Disease can be cured in its early stages. During treatment more milk and meat should be taken and the patient should be given rest for months. 

Cholera

 Cholera is mainly found in Asia and commonly spreads in humid conditions. 

Symptoms of  cholera

Disease begins with fever, diarrhoea and vomiting, accompanied by severe abdominal pain. Severe attacks result in dehydration and death of the patient. 

Causative Organism

 Cholera is caused by a comma-shaped bacterium called Vibro cholera with a flagellum which enables it to swim in water. Vibro Cholera is ono-caplulated and cannot withstand dry condition. It is water bom. The disease is spread by the use of contaminated water and food . 

Control over the Disease

 1-By the use of boiled or chlorinated water.
 2-By keeping our food covered to avoid its contamination. 
3-By injecting cholera vaccine which gives an active artificial immunity for six month. 
4-By keeping infected persons in isolated places as the bacteria are transmitted by flies as well as by water.
 5-Good sanitation is required to prevent the contamination of water

 Treatment of cholera

Saline solution is continuously injected into vein of patient to maintain the body fluid balance. This does not kill the bacteria but enables the patient to overcome the effects of dehydration and allow his own body to fight the disease. 
Drugs (antibiotics) are also given to kill the bacteria. 
Bacillary Dysentery 
Bacillary dysentery is a food-born disease. 

Symptoms of dysentary

Symptom of the disease is severe pain in the lower abdomen. It is followed by diarrhoea and fever. There is appearance of mucous and blood (in the case of severe attack) in the stools. 

Causative Organism  of bacillary dycentary

Bacillary dysentery is caused by rod-shaped (bacilli) bacteria. The bacteria are motile and are found in the faeces of patients in large numbers. The disease is spread by the use of contaminated food and from unwashed hands after using lavatory. 

Control over Disease 

 By protecting cooked and uncooked food from houseflies. By careful washing of hands after using toilet. By adopting proper methods of sanitation to prevent flies from sitting on human faeces and breed there. 

Treatment of dycentary

The patient should take rest and eat no solid food for a day or two. Patient should be given plenty of water and ORS (Oral Rehyderate Salt) to prevent dehydration. Proper medicine should be given. 

Influenza

 Influenza is an illness affecting upper respiratory tract 

Symptoms of Influenza

Symptoms of the disease are fever, headache, pain in the limbs watering of eyes and running of nose and it is associated with sore throat. ' 

Causative Agent of Influenza

 

Influenza virus

  

Different strains of viruses are responsible for causing the disease. The disease is spread by droplet infection (cough, sneezing, and breath).

Treatment and Control 

There is no particular treatment of the disease. The patient develops immunity and recovers. Rest is the only immediate treatment. Disease can be controlled by keeping patient away from other people. 

Measles 

Measles is a very infectious and worldwide disease of children. 

Symptoms of measles

The disease starts with fever with cold, cough and a watery discharge from the eyes. On the third day rashes appear first on the face and" then spread over the whole body.

 Causative Organism 

The causative organism is a virus, which is air born and is inhaled in droplets. The disease spreads through the discharge from eyes and nose, which becomes air-born and spreads rapidly. 

Treatment and Control  of measles

There is no specific treatment. Child develops immunity and the signs and symptoms of the disease disappear after seven days. The child should be given plenty of drink especially milk. It is difficult to control the disease because it is highly infectious as the patient becomes infectious about 2 days before the symptom of the disease develop. 

Poliomyelitis 

 Poliomyelitis is most common among the children but young and old people can also become its victims. It begins slowly. The sufferer has very high fever, headache, nausea, fits and stiffness of limbs. In severe cases, the virus attacks the nerve fibers of the spinal cord causing paralysis of the limbs and muscles of the respiratory tract, sometime proving fatal, apart from permanent disabilities. 

Treatment and Control 

There are two polio vaccines; 
sabin vaccine 
Salk vaccine1

sabin vaccine. 

Sabin vaccine is more common and is given orally in the form of drops. Two or three drops are given to infants during their first year which provides life long protection against polio by developing active immunity against it. 

Salk vaccine

Salk vaccine is injected in to the body but it is not being practiced in our country. 

Polio virus Causative Organism 

 Poliomyelitis is caused by virus, which is transmitted by infected water. It is also transmitted by droplet infection during coughing and sneezing, of the patient. 

AIDS (Acquired immune Deficiency Syndrome) 

 AIDS is a disease in which body’s immune system, the system which protects our body against infections, is destroyed. The body becomes unable to protect itself against many other diseases i.e. immune deficiency develops. 

Causative Organism of AIDS

The causative organism is a virus called HIV . 

Signs and Symptoms 

 The word syndrome is used in AIDS because it is a disease with many symptoms occurring at the same time. The patient may suffer from chronic fever, severe diarrhoea lasting for months, pneumonia etc. and even cancer. It is usually transmitted by relationship with an infected person. Blood transfusion from infected person. By sharing contaminated injection needles. For example when drug addicts share their used syringes. By using contaminated razors, surgical and dental instruments etc. Virus may pass from the infected mother to the foetus during pregnancy.
 Prevention and Control 
Aids can be prevented by talking following measures By keeping to one’s own partner. By avoiding drug abuse as drug addicts share hypodermic needless. By using disposable syringe.
Antibiotics are uses in these type of diseaese.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are chemicals that are extracted from one living organism and which destroy pathogens in another living organism. Antibiotics are used to kill pathogenic bacteria . 

Common antibiotics

 Penicillin 

 It attacks a narrow range of bacteria and are therefore called narrow spectrum antibiotics. Pencillin was discovered by lious pasture

Cephlosporins 

 These are useful against bacteria which have developed resistance to penicillin.

 Tetracyclines 

 These act against a variety of bacteria. They are broad spectrum antibiotics.

 Erythromycins

 Erythromycins are useful against bacteria which have developed resistance to penicillin

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