B5.5 - Preventing Infections (Finished) Flashcards
Who discovered the effect infections had?
Dr Semmelweis after the lack of hygiene that caused death in maternity ward at hospitals.
How can the spread of disease be prevented
Simple hygiene measures
By destroying vectors
By isolation of infected individuals
Vaccinations
What did Ignaz Semmelweis do?
He noticed his medical students went straight from dissecting a dead body to delivering a baby without washing their hands. He noticed another doctor died from symptoms similar to childbed fever after cutting himself while working on a body. S insisted his students wash their hands before delivering babies and immediately fewer mothers died
What did Louis Pasteur, Joseph Lister discover?
Louis Paster showed that microorganisms caused disease and developed vaccines. Joseph Lister started to use antiseptic chemicals to destroy pathogens before they caused infections in operating theatres
What are the four wats of preventing communicable diseases?
Hygiene, destroying vectors, isolating infected individuals, vaccination
Give 3 ways of being hygienic to prevent disease spread?
- Hand washing after toilet, before cooking etc
- Using disinfectants on kitchen work surfaces
- Coughing / sneezing into a handkerchief
How does isolating infected individuals prevent the spread of disease?
If you isolate someone with a communicable disease it prevents it from being passed on as there are no healthy people to pass it on to
How does destroying or controlling vectors prevent the spread of disease?
By getting rid of the organisms that spread disease (vectors) the disease can’t be passed on.
How can you kill insect vectors?
Insect vectors can be killed using insecticide or by destroying their habitat so they can’t breed
How does vaccination prevent the spread of communicable disease?
Vaccinated people can’t develop the disease and then pass it on to someone else
