4. Transmission Of Diseases Flashcards
What are the modes of transmission for infectious diseases?
INHALATION- Airborne particles breathed in
PLACENTA- via mother to baby
ANIMALS (zoonosis)- being scratched or bitten by an infected animal
DIRECT CONTACT- kissing, sexual intercourse
VECTOR- mosquito/fly carrying the pathogen from one host to another
INOCULATION- injection of pathogen into body via needle
CONTAMINATION-touching objects where pathogens are
INGESTION- consuming pathogens in food and water.
What factors affect the transmission of a disease across microbes?
VIRULENCE- the power of a pathogen to cause severe disease
HEALTH AND BEHAVIOUR OF THE HOST- poor health and travelling to areas where disease is common will increase the risk of being infected by a pathogen.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS- temperature dust humidity affect the ability of a pathogen to survive outside its host as its spreads from old host to new host.
What are the three ways in which diseases can be spread across humans and animals?
HORIZONTALLY - from one member of the population to the next (eg chicken pox spread in school)
VERTICALLY - from one generation to the next (HIV spread from mother to baby)
ZOONOSIS - animal disease spreading to humans
Eg. Worms spreading from cats and dogs to humans.
What are the levels of disease outbreak?
OUTBREAK - sudden increase in the incidence of a disease at a localised level
EPIDEMIC - outbreak of a disease at a national level
PANDEMIC - an international outbreak of disease
What are the ways in which outbreaks of diseases can start?
POINT SOURCE INFECTION - exposure to an infection from a source at one time
COMMON SOURCE OUTBREAK - exposure to infection over a period of time
PERSON TO PERSON CONTACT - chains of transmission from one person to another
