Prevention of Communicable Diseases

Communicable diseases are transmitted from one person to the next. They are spread through several methods which include breathing the same air as the infected person, drinking contaminated water, ingesting contaminated food or via vectors like flies and mosquitoes. This is why it is very important to learn the prevention of communicable diseases to avoid the worst to happen. Visit this site, to get started.

Classification of Communicable Diseases

• Airborne
• Waterborne
• Vector-borne
• Foodborne

From the above classification, a transmission can either be direct or indirect. Direct transmission occurs when the infectious agent directly interacts with the host. This could be via kissing, coughing, touching, and talking, etc. Indirect transmission when the infectious agent contaminates other objects before the host comes into contact with them. It could be via contaminated food or water, soiled bedding or clothes, etc.

How Communicable Diseases Occur

There are three factors that must be present in order for this type of disease to occur:

• A microorganism with enough virulence.
• A supportive environment to facilitate the transmission.
• A person with lower immunity.

Prevention of Communicable Diseases

Prevention of these diseases requires the cooperation of various departments. This includes the health department, parents, private and public institutions, physicians, and others. The prevention process is usually dynamic and it depends mainly on:

• The present environmental conditions.
• The interaction between the transmitting agent and the host.

Generally, prevention measures normally include:

• Washing hands often with a mild hand sanitizer.
• Getting vaccinated. It helps to increase the host’s resistance to communicable diseases.
• Using chemoprophylaxis drugs to protect susceptible or exposed hosts from developing a transmissible infection.
• Frequently disinfecting and cleaning surfaces that are commonly used.
• Enforcing strong immunization laws.
• Avoid touching wild animals.
• Preparing and handling food safely.
• Drinking clean water.
• Isolation of infected patients.
• Destroying infected animals e.g. stray dogs and cats.
• Preventing further breeding of vectors by disposing wastes in the right places. It’s also important to eradicate and disinfect their breeding sites.
• Limiting your exposure to various infection reservoirs by wearing gloves or protective clothing when handling an infected subject, using treated nets, etc.