Unit 12: Diseases and infections.
Part B: How can disease be prevented and treated.
What is direct contact?
Direct contact is when two or more people are directly touching each other. This can be by
touching, kissing, hugging or other means of physical contact. Direct contact is a way that
diseases can be easily spread as some times, people are subconsciously passing on bacteria.
Direct contact diseases can include some diseases like chicken pox, polio, conjunctivitis, HIV
and many more.
Human to human contact.
Human to human contact is one form of direct contact. Human to human contact is when
two or more people are directly touching each other. Human to human contact is an easy
way for diseases to spread as people are always coming into contact with others without
realising that they are passing on bacteria.
HIV.
HIV is a human-to-human contact disease (direct contact disease), as two people have to be
touching in order or HIV to be spread. HIV can be spread through a number of different
ways and they are:
Spread via bodily fluids during sexual intercourse.
HIV can also be spread from a parent to an embryo when they are being developed
in the womb
Through sharing needles or other medical equipment that is used on someone that
has HIV.
Blood is another way that HIV can spread. For example, if someone touches a
person’s blood that has HIV, then they would also get HIV to.
How can HIV be prevented?
HIV can also be prevented in many ways. They are:
Having safe sex. This can be done by using condoms and
choosing appropriate behaviours when having sex. This
way, if someone has HIV, then they wouldn’t be
spreading it to another person.
Also, people should get tested to see if they nave HIV.
This is good prevention method as HIV is detectable.
Also, if someone knows that they have HIV, then they
would not pass it onto another person.
A person with HIV can take medication to treat and
prevent HIV in their body. This is a good prevention
1
, method for HIV to stop spreading as if someone gets treated for HIV, then they
would not spread it to another person.
Also, a person should not share needles or any other sort of medical or other
equipment. This is because people with HIV can pass it on when they are sharing
equipment with each other.
Animal to human contact
Animal to human contact is when humans touch animals that have certain diseases or
mainly when people touch animal waste. Animal to human direct diseases is usually
transmitted to people who have pets as they are more likely to touch animal faeces than
other people who don’t have a household pet.
Hookworm infection.
Hookworm infection is caused by a parasite and is an example of a direct contact disease as
there is physical contact between the animal and the person. Hookworm infections are
spread when:
when humans come into contact with animal faeces
when people walk barefooted on soil or if they touch soil that isn’t safe to touch
Hookworms sometimes can't be seen, so people wouldn’t know that their pets have
hookworms so that they can protect themselves.
We can prevent hookworm infection by:
by wearing gloves when cleaning up animal faeces
Not walking barefooted in soil
Not touching soil that isn’t safe to touch
Washing your hands when coming into contact with animal faeces or not clean soil
By being in isolation so that you won’t pass the disease on to another person
Zoonosis.
Zoonosis is a disease that is caused from an animal to a human. The
zoonosis pathogens can be a virus, bacteria or a parasite, and can spread
from direct contact between the animal and the person. Some examples of
a zoonosis disease can include the bird flu, anthrax or the animal flu.
Zoonosis diseases are spread when a person touches and infected animals’
urine, faeces, body fluids. This can be by petting the animals or touching
the bites or cuts on the skin of an infected animal without gloves. The symptoms of any
zoonosis disease are the same and they include: abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and a
lack of appetite. Zoonosis diseases can be easily treated by antibiotics as these diseases are
bacterial disease which get treated by antibiotics.
What is indirect contact?
Indirect contact is when people are not directly touching each other is. Indirect contact can
easily spread diseases as the pathogens can travel in different ways and people would not
2
, know that the pathogens are there. Indirect contact diseases are diseases like covid 19, the
flu, malaria, cholera and many more.
Vector diseases.
Vector diseases are diseases that are spread via vectors. A vector is an insect or animal that
transmits diseases from one person to another. This differs from a direct contact disease as
people are not spreading the disease between themselves. Vector diseases can be gained
subconsciously as insects would transfer blood or waste between people without them
knowing.
Malaria.
Malaria is a disease that is transmitted by a vector. A mosquito feeds on a person and pass
their blood to another person that they would feed on next. Malaria is an indirect contact
disease as the microorganisms are being passed on from the vector to a person and not
directly from a person to another person. Malaria is spread by:
A female anopheles’ mosquito. Only this specific type of female specie of mosquito
can spread the malaria disease. The female anopheles' mosquito would bite a person
and would suck some of their blood. Then, the female mosquito would go to another
person and would put the previous person's blood into the next person's body. This
means that the blood of the two people mixes and would cause the disease as the
female mosquito would continue to do this and would start to transfer dirty blood to
lots of people. This is also bad as then some people can have diseases or they can
have problems with their blood which mixes with other people's blood and causes
very severe malaria to be spread via the mosquito. The mosquito would constantly
do this with different people and this is how it spreads.
Sharing contaminated medical equipment like needles and syringe. When people use
medical equipment for blood purposes and they do not clean it, then the blood
would be transferred to people that way. Also, some people may have problems
with their blood or may have a disease like HIV, which spreads through blood as well.
This means that people who share that same needle would contract malaria and
would also contract HIV as well.
Malaria can easily be prevented by:
Using mosquito nets
Using mosquito and insect repellent
Both of these methods stop the mosquitos from feeding on
people and spreading infected blood between people. This is
because the malaria spray stops the mosquitos from entering
where the spray is, which prevent the mosquito from feeding on a
person. Also, the mosquito nets have little holes which trap the
mosquitos and stops them from biting a person. This means that
malaria can get prevented as the female mosquito wouldn’t feed on people and pass it to
others.
3
Part B: How can disease be prevented and treated.
What is direct contact?
Direct contact is when two or more people are directly touching each other. This can be by
touching, kissing, hugging or other means of physical contact. Direct contact is a way that
diseases can be easily spread as some times, people are subconsciously passing on bacteria.
Direct contact diseases can include some diseases like chicken pox, polio, conjunctivitis, HIV
and many more.
Human to human contact.
Human to human contact is one form of direct contact. Human to human contact is when
two or more people are directly touching each other. Human to human contact is an easy
way for diseases to spread as people are always coming into contact with others without
realising that they are passing on bacteria.
HIV.
HIV is a human-to-human contact disease (direct contact disease), as two people have to be
touching in order or HIV to be spread. HIV can be spread through a number of different
ways and they are:
Spread via bodily fluids during sexual intercourse.
HIV can also be spread from a parent to an embryo when they are being developed
in the womb
Through sharing needles or other medical equipment that is used on someone that
has HIV.
Blood is another way that HIV can spread. For example, if someone touches a
person’s blood that has HIV, then they would also get HIV to.
How can HIV be prevented?
HIV can also be prevented in many ways. They are:
Having safe sex. This can be done by using condoms and
choosing appropriate behaviours when having sex. This
way, if someone has HIV, then they wouldn’t be
spreading it to another person.
Also, people should get tested to see if they nave HIV.
This is good prevention method as HIV is detectable.
Also, if someone knows that they have HIV, then they
would not pass it onto another person.
A person with HIV can take medication to treat and
prevent HIV in their body. This is a good prevention
1
, method for HIV to stop spreading as if someone gets treated for HIV, then they
would not spread it to another person.
Also, a person should not share needles or any other sort of medical or other
equipment. This is because people with HIV can pass it on when they are sharing
equipment with each other.
Animal to human contact
Animal to human contact is when humans touch animals that have certain diseases or
mainly when people touch animal waste. Animal to human direct diseases is usually
transmitted to people who have pets as they are more likely to touch animal faeces than
other people who don’t have a household pet.
Hookworm infection.
Hookworm infection is caused by a parasite and is an example of a direct contact disease as
there is physical contact between the animal and the person. Hookworm infections are
spread when:
when humans come into contact with animal faeces
when people walk barefooted on soil or if they touch soil that isn’t safe to touch
Hookworms sometimes can't be seen, so people wouldn’t know that their pets have
hookworms so that they can protect themselves.
We can prevent hookworm infection by:
by wearing gloves when cleaning up animal faeces
Not walking barefooted in soil
Not touching soil that isn’t safe to touch
Washing your hands when coming into contact with animal faeces or not clean soil
By being in isolation so that you won’t pass the disease on to another person
Zoonosis.
Zoonosis is a disease that is caused from an animal to a human. The
zoonosis pathogens can be a virus, bacteria or a parasite, and can spread
from direct contact between the animal and the person. Some examples of
a zoonosis disease can include the bird flu, anthrax or the animal flu.
Zoonosis diseases are spread when a person touches and infected animals’
urine, faeces, body fluids. This can be by petting the animals or touching
the bites or cuts on the skin of an infected animal without gloves. The symptoms of any
zoonosis disease are the same and they include: abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and a
lack of appetite. Zoonosis diseases can be easily treated by antibiotics as these diseases are
bacterial disease which get treated by antibiotics.
What is indirect contact?
Indirect contact is when people are not directly touching each other is. Indirect contact can
easily spread diseases as the pathogens can travel in different ways and people would not
2
, know that the pathogens are there. Indirect contact diseases are diseases like covid 19, the
flu, malaria, cholera and many more.
Vector diseases.
Vector diseases are diseases that are spread via vectors. A vector is an insect or animal that
transmits diseases from one person to another. This differs from a direct contact disease as
people are not spreading the disease between themselves. Vector diseases can be gained
subconsciously as insects would transfer blood or waste between people without them
knowing.
Malaria.
Malaria is a disease that is transmitted by a vector. A mosquito feeds on a person and pass
their blood to another person that they would feed on next. Malaria is an indirect contact
disease as the microorganisms are being passed on from the vector to a person and not
directly from a person to another person. Malaria is spread by:
A female anopheles’ mosquito. Only this specific type of female specie of mosquito
can spread the malaria disease. The female anopheles' mosquito would bite a person
and would suck some of their blood. Then, the female mosquito would go to another
person and would put the previous person's blood into the next person's body. This
means that the blood of the two people mixes and would cause the disease as the
female mosquito would continue to do this and would start to transfer dirty blood to
lots of people. This is also bad as then some people can have diseases or they can
have problems with their blood which mixes with other people's blood and causes
very severe malaria to be spread via the mosquito. The mosquito would constantly
do this with different people and this is how it spreads.
Sharing contaminated medical equipment like needles and syringe. When people use
medical equipment for blood purposes and they do not clean it, then the blood
would be transferred to people that way. Also, some people may have problems
with their blood or may have a disease like HIV, which spreads through blood as well.
This means that people who share that same needle would contract malaria and
would also contract HIV as well.
Malaria can easily be prevented by:
Using mosquito nets
Using mosquito and insect repellent
Both of these methods stop the mosquitos from feeding on
people and spreading infected blood between people. This is
because the malaria spray stops the mosquitos from entering
where the spray is, which prevent the mosquito from feeding on a
person. Also, the mosquito nets have little holes which trap the
mosquitos and stops them from biting a person. This means that
malaria can get prevented as the female mosquito wouldn’t feed on people and pass it to
others.
3
