INFECTIOUS DISEASES - TERMINOLOGY - MODES OF TRANSMISSION

Desiderius Erasmus quoted that, "Prevention is better than cure".

It often takes less effort to prevent than to cure out something that has already happened. So it is always advisable taking care and investing in the well - being of ourselves rather than running behind it and chasing for the organism causing the discomfort to our body. 
To prevent anything in prior, it is important to know and understand detailed information regarding the underlying conditions.
'Disease'- the word itself speaks about it. It is Dis - ease. It implies the lack of comfort and ease that a healthy person usually have on any normal day. Such discomfort is caused by various foreign bodies that enter into our body and targets on our immune system.
When our body's immune system is compromised, gradually body tends to lose energy as the foreign organisms multiplies in greater numbers.
To act upon such foreign bodies, we should know the way they attack and what does they do inside our bodies. Knowing the thin line differences between the route of transmissions, mode of transmissions and other important terminologies, help us to derive accurately pin pointed to a condition that the body is undergoing during a discomfort.

Few very important terminologies in transmission of diseases are sited below:

Important terminology in transmission of Infectious diseases:

PATHOGENS : Pathogens are the organisms that produce disease in the host.

INFECTION : Infection and immunity involve interaction between the animal body (host) and the infecting micro-organism.

INFECTIOUS DISEASE : The diseases caused by micro-organisms to human body is known as Infectious disease. It is due to lodgement and multiplication of micro-organisms which may or may not lead to disease.

TYPES OF DISEASES (based on sources) :

·      
           Food and water borne diseases: Diseases that are transmitted through water and food are known as food and water borne diseases.

           Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) : Disease that are transmitted through sexual interactions are known as STDs.

   
     Airborne diseases : Diseases that are transmitted through air are known as Air borne diseases. 
  

  
 MODES OF TRANSMISSION: 
 Modes of different transmission of diseases are:

1)     Contact

2)     Inhalation

3)     Ingestion

4)     Inoculation

5)     Congenital

6)     Latrogenic

 SOURCES OF TRANSMISSION :Different sources of transmission of disease are:

            1)    Carriers

            2)     Reservoirs

            3)     Vectors                                                                                                      

1) CARRIERS : A carrier is a person who harbors the pathogenic micro-organism without any ill effect of it.

TYPES OF CARRIERS :

i) Healthy carrier is the one who harbors the pathogen but never suffered from the disease caused by the pathogen.

ii) Convalescent carrier  is one who has recovered from the disease and continues to harbor the pathogen in his body.

Depending on Duration of Carriage, carriers are classified as :

i)    Temporary Carrier state lasts less than 6 months. 

ii)Chronic Carrier state may last for several years and sometimes even for the rest of  one's life.

Contact Carrier is a person who acquires the pathogen from another carrier. 
Paradoxical Carrier is a person who acquires the pathogen from another carrier.

       

     2) RESERVOIRS: Infectious diseases transmitted from animals to humans are called Reservoirs. They are also termed as ZOONOSES or ZOONOTIC DISEASES.

Eg: Plague from rats

      Rabies from dogs

      Toxoplasmosis from cats, etc.,

   3) VECTORS : Diseases caused by insects that may transmit pathogens to human beings are called Vectors. They are also called Arthropod- borne diseases.

Eg: Ticks

       Mites

       Flies

       Fleas

       Lice, etc.,

 Depending on the Spread of Infectious diseases, they may be classified into different types. 

They are :

i)Endemic disease are those, which are constantly present in particular area.

ii)Epidemic disease is the one that spreads rapidly, involving many persons in an area at the same time.
Eg : Influenza causes annual winter epidemics in cold country, Plague in many countries.

 Pandemic disease is an epidemic that spreads through many areas of the world involving very large numbers of people within a short period.,
Influenza Cholera, Plague and enteroviral conjunctivitis are pandemic diseases.

iii)Sporadic disease is one, which occurs very rarely.

  

    Epidemics vary in rapidity of spread. Water borne diseases such as Cholera and Hepatitis may cause explosive outbreaks ,while diseases which spread by person - to - person contact evolve more slowly.

Such creeping and smoldering epidemics, as that of Cerebrospinal fever, are termed Prosodermic diseases.

The above mentioned are some of the important terminologies and distinction among each of them are to be known in detail to treat any outbreaks happened at times. Knowing the kinds of transmission of diseases helps in preventing the occurence of the diseases, as the root cause through which the foreign organisms passes through the body could be assessed, inspected and controlled.

Benjamin Franklin rightly said, "An ounce of prevention is worth than a pound of cure."

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